


Wolf in Red

by awesomePants67



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Sex, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22232986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awesomePants67/pseuds/awesomePants67
Summary: In the lands of Spree, Garsonwing and Dayland the Shapeshifters and The Riding Hoods have been at odds with each other for five decades. What happens when a twenty-five year old Tessa Porter(Red Riding Hood) meets a beautiful red headed werewolf? Teriah AU, little red riding hood with a twist.
Relationships: Kyle Abbott/Lola Rosales, Mariah Copeland/Tessa Porter, Nick Newman/Sharon Newman
Comments: 28
Kudos: 49





	1. Red Riding Hood

**Author's Note:**

> Some characters are going to be a little OOC from the shows version to fit my story and I changed it up a little bit so Sharon is actually Tessa's mom. Adam Bracey is based off of Adam Newman in the show, the only difference is he's not related to Nick or any of the other Newmans in my story. Lily isn't related to Devon or any of the Hamilton-Winters family. Same thing with Billy Splaine, based off the same character but not related to the Abbotts in my work. Enjoy!

(Tessa’s POV)

“Bye mom! I’m heading to Grandma’s!” I yell as I run out the door.

Finally! A beautiful day. I take a deep breath of the freshly rained on grass as I jog down the steps to the vast meadow around our house.

“Sweetie! You forgot your coat!” my mom calls out to me.

My mom, Sharon, has never been the same since Crystal died two years ago and honestly, I haven’t either. My little sister was my best friend, my confidante. We promised we’d be there for each other no matter what. I swore I would protect her at all costs but in the end, I couldn’t even do that. 

Tears start rolling down my cheeks as I walk back towards my mom to retrieve my red coat. I quickly wipe my tears away as she hands me the coat, then I look up at her. I can tell she hasn’t been sleeping well. Her grey eyes have darkened with the distinguished circles beneath them, and her once lively blonde hair has dulled to a mere dirty yellow that doesn’t hold the same shine as it once did before. 

I wave goodbye to my mom as I tread down the path towards the forest.  It’s days like these that I can just, close my eyes and focus on the peaceful sounds around me. These days are far and few in between but I learned to really treasure them. I used to love being in this forest, Crystal and I would play hide and seek as children or we would gather with some of the other kids in the nearby town and all play Red Light Green Light. My lips quirk up a little thinking of how she would crouch behind a bush when Red Light was called and while everyone was standing still, she would use the bushes and trees as cover to cheat her way ahead of everyone else.

I come back from my musings as I realize I'm already at the old little cabin that is my grandmothers house. 

“Grandma! I’m here with the bread you wanted!” I said as I knock on the door. On the third knock I notice the door slightly opening up. It’s pitch black inside…. something’s not right. I peer in through the crack in the door and slowly open it up to see that my grandma’s bedroom light is on.

“Oh how lovely! Do come in my dear,” I hear my grandma say gruffly.

Yeah, something definitely isn’t right. I recognize that voice and it isn’t my grandmothers. 

I slowly take a step inside.

“Grandma, your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?” 

“Oh, I just have a touch of a cold.”

I take another step closer to the bedroom, propping myself up on my tiptoes slightly to peer into it using the throughway in the wall. All I can see are big fuzzy ears on my grandma’s bed.

I knew it.

“But Grandma, what big ears you have,” I say as I bend down to grab the blade on my thigh.

“The better to hear you with, my dear”

“But Grandma--” I sneer as I walk through the doorway, knife hidden up the sleeve of my coat.

“What big eyes you have,” I finish as I glare into the dark eyes of non-other than, Noah.

Noah Newman, the midnight furred shapeshifting beast that--

“Hahaha,” Noah cackles as he jumps off the bed on all fours. “Thanks for playing along Tess, I’ve always thought that fairy tale was funny. I mean, the wolf getting his stomach cut open by the woodsman just so, the grandma and granddaughter could escape and live happily ever after? Not realistic.” He exclaims with a wolfish smirk and an eyebrow lift. 

I feel my blood boil as his words reach my ears. With grace and tact, I throw my hidden blade. The man-eating beast howls in pain as the dagger plunges into his chest. 

“I’ll get you for that!” He growls.

Fuck! Barely missed his heart. I look around and see a step stool by the wall, perfect. Right as Noah lunges, I use it to push off the wall and land a kick on his snout that sends him tumbling into the nearby bookcase.

Now he’s really mad, good.

I remember my training and assume a defensive stance. As soon as the beast comes at me, I weave through his slashes and pull out the knife in his chest. He tries to gnash at me with his bloody fangs, but I duck under and slash his tendons, bringing him down to the ground.

“I like the original version better.” I seethe out.

This isn’t the first shapeshifter I’ve fought. Even when the light in his eyes fade as I pierce his heart with my blade, I know I can never get my grandma back. All my anger begins to dissipate and all I am left with is this feeling of emptiness. 

  
  


(Mariah’s POV)

“Damn why isn’t he back yet! Nick! Where’s Noah been all day?” I yelled while storming up to said man.

“I don’t know, he just said he needed to take care of some business. I wouldn’t worry too much Mariah, he can take care of himself.” Nick replied calmly but surely. 

“But he’s usually back by now, something isn’t right. As a Beta, I can feel it in my bones.” I frustratingly let out as I look Nick in the eyes.

Nick placed his hands on my shoulders trying to calm me down. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you to ignore your instincts. But all I’m saying is, he was picked Alpha for a reason. We both know, Victor was going to pick you to become his stand in for Alpha and eventual successor because of your strengths in strategy and snark” I chuckle as he smirks with that last word. “Oh come on, I’m not that snarky.” Nick rolls his eyes with that smirk still playing on his face. “But, you didn’t want to be Alpha and I know it’s because of what happened with--“

“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” I counter quickly while I feel my eyes burning with unshed tears.

Nick looks at me sympathetically. “Hey, hey, come here,” he says as he pulls me into a warm embrace. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. As I was saying, Noah knows what he’s doing. He’ll be fine, don’t worry.” he finishes as he lets me go.

Maybe Nick’s right, maybe I am just paranoid, but still…

“Thanks, but I’m going to go figure out where he’s at, just in case.” Nick gives me a soft smile. “Ok, if it helps, I think I saw him going north into the forest.” I smile at him in a silent thank you before walking to the elevator that leads out of the underground hideout. 

I step out onto the grassy hills and set my clothes to the side. Unlike a certain half-brother *cough Noah *cough, I’d rather not rip my clothes to pieces when I’m shifting. I say this to myself while smiling and shaking my head. I begin to concentrate and feel myself getting tingly all over as my bones begin to shift. I got used to the pain a while ago, but I also haven’t shifted in 10 months so, it’s only a little less than brutal at this point. I crouch down and let myself fully change and as I feel the finishing touches take place, I take a deep breath and catch a whiff of Noah’s scent.

He definitely went north.

I take off on all fours hoping against all hope that he is alright. 


	2. Red Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annnd cue the explosive love and passion between the two leads! 
> 
> Jk, this is going to be a slow burn if you haven't noticed by now ;) This chapter gives more background to the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to add that Phyllis is not Summers mom in this and italics are characters thoughts.

(Mariah’s POV)

The light of the crescent moon glistens across my fur as I speed down the grassy hills towards the other side of the forest. The best part about living in an underground hideout is the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s hard for people to track us down and in the last five decades that has been an issue for my kind. We are what most people call werewolves. We call ourselves shapeshifters because unlike the mythological werewolves, we can change into our wolf form whenever we want. But like the werewolves, we can’t die unless pierced by silver in the head or heart...well, I mean old age will naturally get us too, we aren’t immortal thank goodness. We are naturally stronger than regular humans, can run faster and are bigger than wolves. I don’t know why, but I’m the only shapeshifter that can control when I want to heighten my senses in human form as well. It’s kind of like I can choose if I only want certain parts of my wolf’s abilities to come out instead of having to fully shape shift to use those advantages. My senses are also a lot more heightened in general than the rest of my pack for some reason. The only thing I can’t do is run as fast in human form. My senses are the most focused in my full wolf form so I still fully shape shift for those reasons. I would say we are a smarter species but some people make me want to question that, like Summer Newman a.k.a bitch on wheels. Summer is the daughter of Nick and sister to Noah. I look up to Nick, he’s like a dad to me so I really tried to get along with Summer and Noah. I get along with Noah just fine, but Summer? Holy hell she’s a pain in my ass.

As I’m whipping around the tree’s I lose my train of thought when a huge waft of blood enters my snout.

Oh no.

With my stomach in knots, I pound harder on the broken leaves, twisting and turning through more landscape as I come to my destination. _Why is there a dingy little cabin out here in the middle of nowhere?_ I sneak up to the front door making sure there is no imminent danger when I notice the door is wide open. I cautiously step inside and look around. No threats. I hastily move towards the source of the stench and as I get through the doorway of the bedroom I stare in utter shock as I see my own half-brother, naked as the day he was born in a pool of blood.   
  


“Noah, Noah!” I exclaim as I run up to him. His lifeless eyes stare up at the ceiling as I nuzzle his ashen face. It’s cold to the touch. 

I was too late.

_I hope the person responsible rots in hell for this!_ I feel the rage course through my veins as I howl the signal for help.

“Don’t worry Noah, I won’t let anyone get away with this.”

I start sniffing around the room trying to pick up a second scent. I pick up something like honey and apple vinegar.

_Gotcha._

I sprint out the door towards the owner of that bittersweet scent.

(Tessa’s POV)

I sigh as I walk in my front door and lean up against it. I look down to my upper left arm and notice blood dripping down where Noah tore through my skin. _Well, my coat may be ripped but at least he didn’t cut me deep enough to need stitches this time._ I think as I subconsciously rub the four scar lines on the back of my right shoulder blade. _I would have had a GREAT time spinning another lie for the reason why i need stitches, again_. 

I take off my red coat and put it on the coat stand to my right. I look around the room, there’s the white kitchen to my right, the dark colored living room to my left with a lit fireplace and in front of me is the wood flooring that leads to the back hallway. The hallway splits off into each of our bedrooms right before the door that conceals our bathroom and shower. I make a beeline for the cabinet above the toaster and open it up to grab some ointment and gauze to wrap my injury in. As I pin the fabric together my mom walks in wearing white jeans and a cute yellow blouse with a golden rose necklace as a finishing touch.

“Did grandma enjoy the bread we made her?” My mom asked as she looked down to see my hand holding the pin to an already reddening blotched looking gauze wrap. “What happened to your arm?!”

Tears stream down my face as I realize everything that just happened. “I-I ran into a tree branch while I was running back home and it cut through my arm a little. Grandma’s dead.” I look at her shocked face with a newly blurred vision. “I didn’t know what to do, when I got to her cabin, I noticed the door was slightly open so I went inside to check what’s going on. When I got to her bedroom all I saw were large blood stains all over the pillowcases and sheets.” I finish as I tilt my head down and burst out sobbing. “So I ran back home incase whoever did that was still there, and now here we are.” I lift my head back up to see my mom with tears in her eyes walking over to me and wrapping me in a hug.

“It’s alright sweetie, maybe-maybe she’s not dead. It sounds like you didn’t see a body so she could be just fine right? Maybe she got away or something and is hiding. We have to call the police!” She exclaims as she releases me to get the phone and dial 911.

I sniffle and start wiping away my tears. “I don’t think she’s alive mom, after the amount of blood I saw, I don’t think anyone could’ve survived that.” 

I can see the worried look on my moms face as she speaks to the officer on the other end. “Hi this is Sharon Porter, I’d like to report a missing person, maybe even a possible murder at the cabin in the woods west of Willex Rd.”

“Ok, we’ll send in a unit that’ll be there in twenty five minutes” I faintly hear the woman over the phone reply. “Ok thank you.” Sharon hangs up then latches onto me crying softly. “I really hope grandma is ok.” 

I can’t help the guilt that I feel for lying to her even if it is for her own good and protection. I start pulling away unable to look her in the eyes.

“I think I need to be alone right now, everything is just too much.” I give her one last squeeze before running down the right side of the hallway to my room and shutting the door. I lie on my springy mattress with my hands behind my head just staring up at the ceiling thinking about how I got into this mess in the first place. 

I’m part of this organization called the Riding Hoods. We are a group that keeps the supernatural forces at bay and makes sure the rest of the humans live a peaceful life in bliss and ignorance. I’ve only been part of the organization for two years but they’ve been a thing for centuries. Every supernatural being that the organization has come across have been feeding off of or killing humans some way somehow and that is where we come in. Each position has a role to play. We have cleaners, fixers and assassins. Cleaners (disguised as cops and Sheriffs) come in after the death of a human by a supernatural being, they make it look like a mere regular murder or accident and then call in the fixers (disguised as CSI’s) to report the falsified evidence against an unsuspecting human of equal immorality. I’m part of the assassin division, there are twelve of us now that break into groups to watch over Spree, Garsonwing and Dayland. Spree is where the headquarters are so we all meet in my homeland to regroup and discuss what’s been going on and what to do about it. Our head assassin Adam stays on base to make sure that everything is running smoothly within the headquarters and on the outside as well. Four of us (including me) watch over the land of Spree which consists of the shapeshifting packs of the Newmans, Hamilton-Winters and recently Abbotts. Three assassins watch over Garsonwing which now only holds the Baldwin-Fishers since the Abbotts moved over to Spree. The remaining four assassins watch over Dayland which holds the Chancellors, Brooks and Fosters. Our main purpose as assassins is to either stop premeditative murder before it happens or execute the offending supernaturals. From what I’ve learned, we’ve gotten rid of Gargoyles, Fairies, Demons, and Witches. Now all that’s left is the Shapeshifters.

I automatically sit up in bed when I hear a howl in the distance. It’s coming from the same direction my grandma’s house is. I practically snarl as I kneel down on the ground to grab the box from under my bed. I’ve been in the field for a year now so I know how these shapeshifters work, once they find one of their dead they howl to have a few others come and take the body while the rest go off in search for whoever killed their kind. 

I put my suit on and look in the mirror. Everything’s black. I look at myself up and down starting with my combat boots, up my long toned porcelain legs to my Sai holsters around both thighs. Continuing up, I’m wearing high waisted booty shorts with a belt that holds a small container on my waist filled with small little smoke bombs that are made to thwart my scent. _They can’t kill what they can’t see or smell._ Up past my washboard abs is a perfectly tight fitting tank crop top with a lace up v neckline. I modified two bandoliers to create an x right below my breasts and around my upper back. They hold my recently sharpened throwing knives. Traveling up my slender neck I have light makeup on with slightly curled black hair that flows down onto the top of my shoulders. 

Last but not least I grab a slender looking wristband from the box and attach it around my wrist. I stare at myself in the mirror with a smirk. _No reason to not look good while fighting._ And with that, I grab my backup red coat from the closet and climb up out of my window. 

As soon as my boots hit the grass I take off east into the woods to direct my pursers away from the house. As I’m weaving through the trees I hear a growl about 40 ft behind me so I use the next tree as leverage to propel myself off into a back-flip while grabbing two of my throwing knives and hurling them at the wolf. The wolf ducks under the first one as it barely grazes its left ear and rolls to the right successfully avoiding the second one. By the time I completely turn around both Sai in hands, the wolf seems to have disappeared. _Wow, this one’s real fast._ Before I can think another word, I hear a crack on one of the branches behind me so without thinking I lunge to the side, somersault and throw one of my Sai at the spot I previously was at. Instead of hitting the wolf, I see the handle caught in its jaws. I inwardly rolled my eyes. _Show off._ I take a minute to look at the wolf. 

It really is a sight to see, there aren’t that many red furred shapeshifters out there. This is the first one I’ve encountered, ever to be quite honest. It’s only a few inches shorter than me on all fours. Its fiery red mane catches the moonlight beautifully in between the flowing shadows of branches as it starts walking closer to me. Its hazel eyes glow in the darkness with a piercing rage that makes my body shiver a little, but I won’t back down. I stare right back defiantly, flipping my Sai upside down, adjusting to a defensive position just in case the wolf decides to try something funny. 

I slowly start moving my empty hand towards the smoke bombs on my hip. 

The wolf is closing the distance even more as I grab a couple balls from the container. 

_Any moment now._

The wolf gets right up to my face, neither of us backing down when suddenly it unhinges its jaw to drop the Sai at my feet and starts backing away.

_What?_

“Pick it up.” The she wolf demands. “I like to give my prey at least a chance to fend for themselves, no unfair battles.”

“Oh how noble of you.” I sneer as I pocket the smoke bombs. Adjusting my body and Sai to attack position I run at the wolf and jab at her. Expecting her to dodge right, I quickly turn over my left shoulder and slice her leg open. She hisses in pain as I take the advantage and throw a knife straight at her face. With lightning speed she ducks under it and jumps up to pounce on me. I lean back matrix style last second before she snaps her jaws where my shoulder would have been and flies over landing behind me. Before I can lean back up fully she instantly turns back around and charges at me like a raging bull, pinning me down to the ground on my stomach. Before she has time to make her next move, I wiggle my arm free and elbow her in the face! 

“Ow! Damn, that was a good hit.” She complements as she’s getting up shaking her head. There’s a stream of dark red liquid coming from of her snout. 

“And there’s plenty more where that came from.” I smirk jumping up into my fighting stance again. _Huh, who knew fighting a shapeshifter could feel this exhilarating._

I gesture for her to come at me this time. The she wolf smiles at me wickedly. “You asked for it.” She backs up and starts blending into the darkness of the trees around her.

I take off my coat and focus on the sounds around me to listen for the she wolf. 

I hear a slight rustle to my right but dodge a millisecond too late because she ends up nicking my leg with her claws and running back into the darkness. I grunt as blood starts pouring down my leg but get back into position. I move around in a circle guard up. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, time seems to slow down as I let my instincts take over. I open my eyes last second to notice something off to my left and before I know it I’ve round-house kicked the red furred shapeshifter into a nearby tree. 

I can tell she’s knocked out because she automatically changes into her human form upon impact with the ground. I cautiously walk up to her. 

She’s absolutely breathtaking. Her freckled porcelain skin contrasts nicely against her fiery red curly hair splayed all over the crushed leaves. Her heart shaped face with cupids bow red lips gleam in the moonlight. I can’t help but pull my face closer for a better look. _Wow, her lashes are so lo-._

My thought process is cut short as I get uppercutted and land on my ass. Before I can counter attack I feel teeth clamping around my right shoulder. I scream in pain as I get lifted up into the air and slammed back down onto the ground like a rag doll. 

The last thing I see are a pair of glowing hazel eyes as darkness consumes me.

(Mariah’s POV)

 _Ugh, where am I? Oh right, I was slammed into a tree. Not going to lie, that girl is good. I haven’t had a match quite like that in a while._ I blacked out for a few seconds after hitting the tree but I’m not moving my eyelids just yet. I can feel her studying my face. 

Without opening my eyes I uppercut the assassin. No time for morphing completely, I use my wolf canines to dig into flesh and slam her into the ground. _Ok, she’s completely knocked out._ I think as I poke one of her high cheek-bones. _Damn she’s hot. Too bad she’s the enemy._ Then I remember she’s the one who killed my half-brother and I look down at her furiously. _Well, I can’t just kill her, there is no gain from that. I guess I’ll just have to torture her for information instead._ I look around me trying to figure out where I can take her. _I can’t take her back to the hideout, if she escapes she’ll know where we are and that would just be stupid._

  
I look around some more, wheels turning as an idea pops into my head. A huge grin begins to creep upon my face. _I know exactly where to take her._ I pick her up, situate her on my back piggy back style and head off toward the Hollow.

  



	3. Conflictions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: brief mention of possible suicide.

(Mariah’s POV)

Luckily I don’t have to walk very far to get to our destination. There’s this cave almost hidden behind trunks of trees near a lake that my people call the Hollow. Our elders always told us the story of the child who drowned in that very lake. Some people say she was pushed and held underwater until the last of the air bubbles escaped her lungs. Others say she tied heavy rocks on her body to drown herself because she was unhappy with her life. All the adults had different versions and at the time I thought nothing of it so me and a few other brave wolf-lings went to go play there. 

**_flashback_ ** (11 year old Mariah)

“So! Who wants to go to the Hollow!” Noah has been trying to get our friends to come with us after Victor told us about the cursed place so we gathered everyone in the living room. I personally don’t believe the place is cursed, so I’ll take my chances.

“OK!” I exclaim while I clap my hands together. “Devon, Ana and Hilary let’s grab our swim suits and head down.” After I called out the few of us that raised their hands I started walking towards my room when someone grabs my arm and turns me around. Glaring at me is none other than Summer Newman.

“You know my grandpa doesn’t want us going down there, I’m going to tell.”

“Fine.” I roll my eyes and sigh as I snatch my arm away. “But I know the truth, you, snowflake, are a scaredy-cat.” I smirk as I fold my arms. 

“No I’m not! I just don’t think you should go against Victor’s wishes.”

“Scaredy. Cat.”

“Ugh! You know what, I’m not a scaredy-cat, I’m going to go with you guys just to make sure Noah doesn’t do something stupid.”

I smile in triumph. “You should get your swim-suit on then.” Summer huffs and stomps into her room.  _ I’ve won this round.  _

The sunlight shining through the surrounding trees gives the lake a magical afterglow. Connecting to that lake is a giant cave beckoning whoever is near its darkness to explore the depths of which it lays.  _ Or run away from it like Devon looks like he’s about to do. _

I run up to the edge of the lake and cannonball in splashing everybody behind me. “Come on in guys the water’s great!” One by one they all start joining me in the crystal clear liquid. Summer and Noah are having a swim race across the lake while Devon,Hilary and I are playing Marco Polo when Ana suddenly brings all of our attention to her.

“Hey guys look at this!” She nods her head back to the cave’s entrance and we all swim over to follow her gaze. Deep in the cave is a large rectangular rock slab surrounded by green crystals that flicker against the reflection of the water. 

“Whoa,” I walk slowly toward them, enchanted by the beauty of the clear-cut rocks. I suddenly halt once I hear Devon call out my name.

“Mariah! Look at this one, catch.”

I instinctively catch the crystal with one hand and flip it around to look at it. It’s so forest green, almost shaped like a candy cane. Before I know what’s happening, the crystal starts to glow in my hands and shoots up, embedding itself into the rock above. 

I stare up at it mouth agape and when I look towards my friends I see the same face mirrored on each one of them. “Yea, I don’t know how that happened.” I explained as I tried to wrap my head around it. I watch as an idea pops into Devon's brain.

“I have an idea! Since the hook end of the crystal is still sticking out, why don’t we get some rope, tie it to the hook and rope swing into the lake?” Everyone jolts out of their shocked reverie and instead get excited for the new proposition. 

“I’ll run back and get some rope!” Noah excitedly states as he runs off towards the house.

The rest of us begin chattering amongst ourselves while we’re waiting for Noah to come back. I pull Devon aside for a second. “Thanks for getting everyone’s attention away from whatever just happened.” I say with a sheepish smile. Devon’s lips quirk up as he pats me on the shoulder. “No problem, I could see you were freaking out just as much as we were. No need to bombard you with questions.” Just then Summer comes up to me.

“I don’t know what just happened or why but at least you are useful for something.” 

I glare and growl at her smug face then start swimming away from the bitch and out into the sunlight where Hilary is. I look back to see the look of innocence on Summers face and Devon shaking his head disapprovingly at her. 

“Don’t let her get to you, it’s honestly not worth it.” Hilary tries to reassure me. “Yeah, I know, but sometimes she just makes me want to strangle her.” Hilary chuckles and we chat for a few more minutes before Noah comes back. “I got the rope! Let’s tie this baby on and start swinging!” 

The rest of the day goes on eventfully. Everyone’s laughing and having a good time swinging off that rock. I even got back at Summer by splashing her in the face after she resurfaced. That ended up getting us into a playful water fight with everyone else picking sides to join in on the fun. 

As the sun started to set, there was only Noah and I left. Everybody else started getting tired except for Ana who accidentally stubbed her toe really hard on granite. I sat next to my half brother on the edge of the lake watching the light bounce over the changing water color as the sun went down. I look over to see Noah in deep thought. “Do you want to talk about what happened today with the crystals?” He turns watching me carefully. “Like I said before, I don’t even know how that happened. It was all so fast. I remember feeling almost drawn to the crystals and then when Devon threw one for me to catch, I felt my hands getting warmer. That’s when it started glowing and shot right to the top of the cave.” I finish as I stare out onto the lake, lost in worry and wonderment. “Hey.” Noah gets my attention and looks at me with soft features etched on his face. “Look on the bright side, maybe one day we’ll figure out why it happened and if we don’t you still have a pretty cool power. You are practically a wolf-ling nightlight.” He laughs when I punch him in the arm in mock anger. 

“Hi there!” A voice comes out from behind us, startling Noah and I. We turn around and see a pale translucent girl floating towards us. “AHHHHHHHH GHOST!” Noah shrieks as he jumps into my lap. “Oh no no! I mean yes, but I’m nice I promise! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I'm just so excited to see new people at my lake.” 

“Wait, are you the girl that died here many years ago?” I ask in shock behind Noah’s shoulder. 

The ghost floats a little more into the moonlight. She doesn’t look much older than 13. Her eyes shine the color of snow and her hair is up in a pony-tail resting on her left shoulder. “Yea, that’s me.” A flash of sorrow crosses her glowing orbs before she perks back up again. “Name’s Kayden, what’re your names?” I wonder whether I should tell her our names or not. Although her demeanor is childish and she says she’s nice, I don’t know. I’ve never met a ghost before aren’t they supposed to be evil? 

Noah slowly gets out of my lap and looks at her with a wary but curious glance. “I’m Noah and this is Mariah.”  _ Dang it Noah! Now she knows our names. Next thing I know he’s going to tell her where we live and all the ghosty goos will be having a field day haunting the rest of our pack.  _ “How’d you die by the way if you don’t mind me asking.” Kayden gazes up at Noah and nervously chuckles. “It was one of those freak accidents. I went against my parents wishes and decided to explore the cave that’s here. I slipped on a rock, fell and hit my head hard on another rock causing me to fall unconscious and my body just fell into the lake face first so I ended up drowning. I don’t remember much before my death. But there’s still bits and pieces I pick up every now and then.” She situates herself so she’s sitting cross legged in front of us and stares off into the distance. “I’ve accepted my death and the fact that I can’t remember much. But, the hardest part is the loneliness.” Kayden turns to us with a sad smile. “No one has stepped foot here in years before you two and your friends came along.” I peer up at her with sympathy. Although it’s not the same loneliness I get how she feels. I’ve always known I was different from the others and so far I haven’t found anyone else that shares the same burden. 

And I’m afraid I never will. 

“Well, why didn’t you come out when the rest of our friends were here? I could’ve used another player on my team during the water fight.” I smile when I see I have successfully gotten Kayden to chuckle. “Yeah, your team was having a tough time out there. If I was there, I could’ve evened the odds up.” She pronounces as she rolled her sleeves up to perform a macho man pose. “I would’ve joined you guys but social anxiety got the best of me, so I decided to watch instead.” She shrugs as she puts her arms back down and I swivel my head to share a look with Noah. 

“Next time we all come down to play, Mariah and I would like to introduce you to the rest of the gang if you want.”

“Oh really?! That would be amazing, thank you so much!” Kayden exclaims as she flips into the air with joy. I giggle at the sight. 

“No problem, but we should be heading back now it’s getting late.”

Kayden stops mid flip and drops back down to the ground looking up at the moon. “Oh shoot! I won’t keep you longer. When will you guys be back?”

“Probably tomorrow, the water fight ended in a stalemate and I’m not giving Summer the chance to beat me so you’re on my team.”

“Awesome. I can’t wait, see you guys, later!” With that, Kayden flew off into the trees disappearing from sight. 

**_End flashback_ **

I trudge through the lake to prop Red Riding Hood up against the rock slab in the cave. I look around me to find the old rope still hanging from the crystal many years later.  _ This’ll do.  _ I feel my nails getting longer and sharper so I swipe at the rope to cut it into three pieces.  _ Hmm I could use the crystals to magnetize the rope to the rock.  _ I focus my attention on making a couple crystals glow and do just that. I pull on the rope to see how strong it is.  _ Perfect.  _ I successfully tie both of the assassins wrists on each side of her head and then tie her feet together.  _ One last thing.  _ I crouch over her and start patting her down, removing her knife straps and other hidden blades. As I’m semi straddling her trying to get better reach to check her back I hear a familiar voice from behind.

“Mariah! It’s been so lo-“ I freeze and turn my head around to see Kayden staring back at me mouth agape. “Uhhhh I’ll leave you to it, come get me when you’re...done, I have a couple things I want to say to you.” It was then that I realized I’m still completely naked and on top of another woman. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks as I quickly scramble off of the assassin. 

“It’s not what you think.” 

“Huh, I didn’t know you were into bondage.” She teases when she looks over at the tied up woman.  _ Ok yup, I’m as red as a tomato right now.  _

“I swear, I’m only getting information out of her. She’s one of the Riding Hoods.”

“I figured as much you’re a bit scratched up I’m assuming you were in a fight. Also your ear is bleeding, but anyways, I’m mad at you. You could have told me you had to start training when you turned 15. It’s been 14 years Mariah! I had to find out through the tree branches!”

“I’m sorry Kayden, when things started heating up between the Riding Hoods and my people we had to change locations and all of our friends and I went into training from sun up until sun down. Then after we got into the field...we’ve lost people, it’s not easy. I know all this sounds like an excuse and honestly yes I should’ve come to you to at least let you know what was going on.” 

Her eyes soften when she hears what’s been happening. “I know about Devon, I’m sorry. I heard you guys started getting closer at some point.” 

I turned my gaze out onto the lake thinking about all that happened with Devon. “Yeah, we did.” I turn back towards Kayden blinking away unshed tears. “But anyways, I need to get information out of this chick. I’m pretty sure she’s going to wake up soon but, do you by any chance have something I could cover myself up with?” 

“Let me check, I think I still have your clothes from a while back.”  _ Sometimes I forget she’s a ghost and can turn invisible all of a sudden.  _ As soon as I think that she reappears again with clothes in hand. 

“I brought Noah’s old gym shorts instead of your really small teen ones. His should fit you better at this point.” I catch the clothes the apparition throws at me. 

_ Noah…. _

“Did I say something wrong?” 

I snap my head up and start putting my clothes on. “No.” I can tell Kayden doesn’t believe me. “Look, I’ll tell you everything that’s been going on later but for now, I have to deal with this.” I say pointing my thumb towards Red Riding Hood. 

“OK.” Kayden sighs. “We’ll put a pin in this discussion for now but I’m not letting you off the hook. Come visit me SOON. And I mean it.” She says as she disappears into thin air. I feel a small smile forming on my lips, she’s a good friend I feel bad for not coming to visit her. 

I look down at my U-neck t-shirt.  _ Well, this shirt is more of a crop top now if anything but oh well.  _ I run my hand through my hair exasperated.  _ Let’s just deal with one thing at a time.  _ I splash over to a nearby rock sticking out of the water. I plop myself down and try to get myself together before going to wake the raven haired woman.

(Tessa’s POV)

_Oh geez, I feel like I just had a massive hang-over._ I blink my eyes open and groggily see my tied up feet halfway enclosed by water. _Why can’t I move my wrists?_ I look over and see that my hands are tied up as well. I trace my eyes up my arm and see that not only is my shoulder dislocated, it has giant teeth marks in it and is caked in blood. _She threw me to the ground like I was a chew toy. How can she have that much strength, I’m pretty sure she didn’t even change when she attacked me._ Calmly I scan the rest of the room to get my bearings when I spot a tear stained face glimmering in the glow of the moonlight. I’m surprised when I feel a pang in my chest. I don’t regret killing Noah but I can recognize the pain in her eyes from here. It’s the same pain I had when I first realized Crystal was gone forever. She turns to fully face me and I see a flicker of shock register across her features before her eyes turn stone cold. She marches straight up to me with a bone chilling gaze. I stay cool and collected as she winds up for a punch but instead she slams her hand right next to the side of my face and gets real close. I can hear a low growl in the back of her throat as her hazel eyes bore into mine with a flash of glow for a split second. _Ooooo she’s mad._

“So this is how we’re going to do things. You are going to give me information that I need and maybe just maybe, you won’t leave here completely broken.” She whispers the last part menacingly then stands back up to full height. Ok,  _ I have an idea I just need to distract her for a moment. “ _ Tell me assassin.” The she-wolf continues as she cracks her knuckles. “I know there’s a way to infiltrate that fortress you call headquarters. And I bet, you know the ins and outs. So give me the details.”

“Oooo so intimidating. Especially with that unicorn on your shirt, it’s a very nice touch.” I instigate with a half smile. The red head smirks right before giving me a mean right hook. My lip splits open as she connects and I have to move around my jaw just to make sure it’s still working. I turn my head back up to meet a pair of ignited eyes.  _ That’s what I’m looking for, oh man this is going to hurt.  _

I pull out my best swollen lipped smug smile. “You know, you have a really good right hook, you’re a good fighter. Can’t say the same for Noah though.” I watch her as she goes into this animalistic rage, eyes glowing, teeth shifting, claws protruding. I can’t help but go wide-eyed a little at the sight before me.  _ Hold on, her canines are actually longer and pointier like a wolf’s. And her nails are longer and sharp. I didn’t think Shapeshifters could half shift. Who is this woman?  _

With great speed she comes at me. Right hook, left hook, gut punch, knee to the face. Her flurry of punches and kicks don’t cease and the pain in my dislocated shoulder is especially excruciating. While she’s busy beating the shit out of me I can inconspicuously use the rock against my wrist to swipe a specific formation onto my wristband. With a last punch to the face I see stars and a silent tiny saw comes out the back of my wrist to start cutting through the rope.  _ I’m so lucky I put the wristband on my good arm.  _

I peer up through my swollen eyelid and see the woman in front of me taking a deep breath, shifting back into full human except for her nails.  _ Wait a minute.  _ I inspect my body to see if there are any new gash marks but there aren’t. She didn’t use her claws at all. As if reading my thoughts she answers.

“Honestly, it’s more satisfying punching you than clawing your eyes out. And plus.” She says as she crouches down giving me a look that could scare a demon away. “I don’t exactly want to have you bleed out just yet. We have all night, sweet cheeks. And I need info from you so tell me what I want to know.” 

I spit out some blood before looking her in the eye and answering. “You do know pain is pleasure to me right?” I wince a little as I try to smirk.  _ Mother fu-  _

The redhead gives me a devious eye twinkle and a sly grin as she crawls up to me. I keep strong eye contact with her while she places one clawed finger on my bruised thigh and slowly starts trailing down towards the freshly open wound she gave me in the woods. I will not give her what she wants. 

Once she gets to her destination, she lightly strokes two fingers over the gash in my leg and hisses into my ear, “We’ll see about that.”

Next thing I know I’m feeling intense pain as she slowly starts digging her claws into the open wound. My forehead starts perspiring. I lean the back of my head up against the rock as I make a small grunting sound and breath in deeply. I won’t give her the satisfaction of seeing how much this actually hurts. 

“You know, you could end this right now, all you need to do is answer me.” She suggests as she digs even deeper into my flesh. I smile at her when I finally feel the rope slackening around my wrist. 

“Never.”

I punch her in the eye, untie my other wrist, push my shoulder back into its socket,  _ fuck that never gets easier _ , and do a one handed handstand front flip towards my weapons on the right side of the cave. I grab a couple smoke balls and throw it at the she-wolf before she can fully get up.  _ OK, that should give me a little time.  _ I slice through the ropes on my feet, grab the rest of my weapons and run. 

I can hear her howl as she starts chasing after me. I push through the pain in my body and just keep going, the only thing I can do right now is to try and lose her in the trees. As I’m swerving through the green I hear the crunching of leaves as she’s getting closer.  _ Déjà vu.  _ I quickly threw a few more smoke bombs behind me but to my surprise it didn't throw her off nearly as much as it did last time. Her jaws barely miss my leg as she dives at me from the smoke. I make a sharp turn right and throw a few knives into a tree. Quickly using the knives as stepping ledges, I climb up the tree trunk with ease and swing myself onto the nearest branch right as the wolf lunges at me again. This time though, she lands behind a shrub and I hear a clamping sound followed by a whine. I jump down from the tree branch and cautiously walk around the bush to see what happened. The she-wolf has caught her jaw clamped between the spikes of a bear trap. As soon as she sees me, she growls in warning to back off.  _ Now’s my chance to escape and patch myself up.  _ I look over in the direction of home and take a couple steps away from the beast behind me.  _ But is she really a beast though? She has not only shown me respect in her own way but I’ve never seen a Shapeshifter cry before. I didn’t even think they had the capacity to feel that way.  _ I look over my shoulder to check on the Shapeshifter who’s still glaring at me. _ If I left her here like this, most likely she would die from infection because there is no way she can call for members of her pack with her face being clamped up like that. But again, she’s one of them.  _

I sigh and run my hand through my hair as I’ve made my decision. I turn around and start walking back towards the wolf. As I get closer she starts snarling louder and louder. I ignore her as I gingerly get down on my knees and push down the springs of the trap to release her. She immediately backs away a bit in confusion and shock. Those emotions look so weird on a large wolf's face I almost laugh but instead just settle for a grin and a shake of the head. 

“Me too Shapeshifter, me too.”

  
I start limping back home.  _ Damn adrenaline’s already worn off.  _ When I glance back, there is no trace of the she-wolf to be found.


	4. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. Happy reading!

(Mariah’s POV)

_ What just happened? I was so sure she was going to finish me off.  _ I’m running through the forest on my way back to the hideout when I pass by a red coat on the ground. I backtrack a little.  _ I’ll take that.  _ With the red coat in my jaws I speed off the rest of the way to my destination. I stop on a pile of leaves where the ground shifts under me and starts taking me down into a softly lit tunnel. I expertly weave through the tunnels, taking the one that leads into the closet of my room. Lifting up the board of my closet, I jump out of the hole and open the door slightly to peek into my room. Once all is clear I lunge onto my bed and shift back. Sitting up on the bed my eyes roam over the coat in my hands, staring in intrigue as my fingers trace the delicate scarlet stitched patterns on the sleeves of the coat. Tracing my finger up the left sleeve I end up circling around a peculiar black stitched symbol.  _ Huh, I wonder what that means.  _

Before I can examine any further I hear a knock on my door. “Mariah? Are you in there?” 

“Hold on one second!” I quickly hide the coat under my bed and run to my drawers to throw on a pair of shorts and t-shirt. 

“Alright come on in!”

“Hey, I heard you get back, I wanted to know if you were doing OK.” 

I sigh “Hey Hilary, honestly I feel like I’m barely holding it together right now. A lot has happened today and I feel like I have so many things going on in my head.” 

Hilary and I have gotten closer over the past 10 months after Devon died. She dated him first and after they broke up, he and I started to date. I didn’t mean for anything to happen, but Devon would always come to me after they broke up whether it was because of a post break up fight they had or if he wanted to talk about his feelings for Hilary. We ended up becoming closer because of that and one day we just got caught up in the moment and kissed. I felt bad about the feelings we were starting to have for each other so I told him I didn’t want to do anything because I know Hilary wasn’t over him yet. And she’s a good friend, I didn’t want to do that to her. So when all seemed alright between Hilary and Devon, he and I started dating and that ended up creating a rift between the friendship that Hilary and I had because she actually wasn’t over him. I could see the jealousy in her eyes whenever we were together and our friendship just started falling apart from there. That almost feels like a lifetime ago. 

Hilary sits down next to me on the bed and puts an arm around my shoulder. “If you want to talk about it I’m here.” 

“No, I’m not ready to talk about anything yet.” 

“It’s ok, my offer still stands but for now, let’s get you patched up because you are bleeding on your sheets and you have a nice shiner that you probably should cover up a bit. We both know Nick is going to go berserk if the first thing he sees on your face is a black eye.” We both bust out laughing as we picture an overprotective Nick running around freaking people out trying to find the person who did this to me. 

We begin chatting about day to day things while Hilary’s helping me dress my wounds. “Geez, you are bruised up and battered more than normal.”

“Yeah, the mark this time was surprisingly just as adept as I was. I had her knocked out and all tied up so I could get some answers out of her and the son of a bitch escaped when I least expected it.” I recount with anger biting through my words.

“Wow, she must’ve been good. You haven’t had a mark escape from you without getting them to talk since you first got out of training.”

Determination steels itself across my features. “True, it pisses me off a bit but, next time I’ll be ready. I learned what those wristbands do that all the assassins wear. I had her wrists tied against the rock slab in the Hollow. She didn’t catch on, but I noticed she swiped her wristband against the rock a specific way and before I knew it she punched me in the eye with that same hand.”

“So her wrist band probably had some hidden knife or something like that.” Hilary finishes for me. 

“Exactly, I bet that’s not all either, I’ll steal it off of her next time so we can examine it.” 

“That’ll be useful to know. By the way, you said you went to the Hollow, how’s Kayden?” 

I rub the back of my neck nervously. “She’s a liiiiiiittle pissed since she hasn’t seen any of us in a while.” 

Hilary bites her lip a little as she contemplates. “I do feel bad for not going to visit her, but then again winning the fight is my first priority. Everything else will have to come later.” She grabs the concealer and starts smearing it over my bruised eye. “And we are done. Now, you should get some rest, it’s 4am. We’ll have Noah’s burial at noon.” I feel strong arms wrap around me before determined chocolate eyes pull back and soften a little. “We’ll make it through this, we’ve done it before, we’ll do it again.” I give her a sad smile as she gets up and steps out of my room, closing the door behind her. I fall back down onto my bed.  _ What a day this has been.  _ My eyes start puddling up thinking about the days events as I turn over and rest my body. 

(Tessa’s POV) 

I look behind me only to see the wolf has gone so I keep on limping home.  _ Oh crap my coat! Eh, I’ll get it later, I feel like shit right now.  _ I stop in my tracks to decide whether I should go home or not.  _ My mom should be asleep, I’ll just leave a note then head off towards headquarters and get myself patched up. I don’t want to worry her.  _ Ten minutes later I stumble in through my window and sneak towards my desk to grab a pen and sticky note.  _ I will be sleeping over at Alina’s tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow, love you.  _ With that I grab my cell phone and gingerly climb back out the way I came. 

I’ve honestly never been to a place such as deceiving as Headquarters. It looks like an old run down castle. I put my wristband up to a worn out brick in one of its walls and it opens up to a grassy field wrapped around by a stone barrier. I walk forward 500 ft and the mirage dissolves into the entrance to a giant building the size of a miniature castle. The camera at the door scans my body then slides the stone doors open. I’m met with the sight of a silver whiskered man, lying on one of the couches reading a book when he looks up at me. 

“Holy crap! What happened to you?” Garret exclaims as he rushes over to get the first aid kit.

“I Just got into a little scuffle, no big deal.” 

“Little scuffle my ass. You look like you were just thrown into a tornado and hit by a dresser.” I start to chuckle when I wince from the split in my lip. He rolls his eyes and motions for me to sit on the couch. Garret opens the first aid kit on the table and pulls out a needle with thread, then hands me some gauze and disinfectant. “Wrap this around your leg with your good arm while I stitch up your shoulder.”We sit in companionable silence as we take care of my wounds. 

Garret Seager. He’s been my best friend ever since I lost my sister because he lost his own daughter many years ago. He never gave me the details and I don’t pry because I can see how much it hurts when he talks about it, but I feel his pain. Garrets a burly man, with long grey hair that he ties up into a ponytail most of the time. He honestly looks good for his age. He’s considered one of the best fighters in the assassins division so he was assigned to train me once I got recruited. 

“Alright, I’ve finished stitching up your shoulder. That Shapeshifter bit you pretty deep.” 

“Oh yea, she threw me to the ground pretty hard. Which by the way, I noticed something odd about her. She didn’t even fully shapeshift when she clamped onto my shoulder. It was like she could control parts of her wolf's abilities even as a human. That’s the only reason why she got the drop on me, it all happened so damn fast.”

I meet Garret’s eyes to see a thoughtful reflection graced upon his features. “That is odd, you could probably ask Adam about it during our meeting tomorrow at 1pm. He’s been fighting these Shapeshifters longer, he might know something.” 

“Wassup bonita!” I turn to see Jordan leaning up against the doorway, arms crossed over their chest. “ I gotta say, you may look like you’ve been mauled by a bear but you are still muy caliente.” They finish with a wink. I roll my eyes at the comment but end up grinning anyways. Jordan is a natural flirt who’s asked me out a few times and although I’ve declined each time, I do admire their chutzpah. They are a lanky built person with dark tanned skin, black spiky undercut hair and a charismatic smile to match. Jordan usually wears button ups with skinny jeans which to be honest, I don’t know how they can fight as well as they do in those things. 

“Hey Jor.” I reply while giving them a little wave.

“Geez chica, the Shapeshifter you were assigned to did a number on you.”

“Nah, I took care of him this time. Luckily I only have a few scratches to bear.” I wave off. “But one of his pack mates that went after me, she’s the one who did all this.”

“Well damn, sounds like you’ve met your match.”

A small smirk creeps upon my lips as I think about the she-wolf.  _ She sure is an interesting Shapeshifter, I’ll give her that.  _

Garret gets up to go into the kitchen and grabs an ice pack. “Here put this on your face tonight, you kinda need it.” I contort my face into mock annoyance and playfully punch him in the stomach. “Ow, that hurt!” He chuckles. “Anyways, I’m getting tired, it’s four in the morning and you two really should be getting to bed as well. Jordan, you’re going grocery shopping with me at 9:30am.” 

Jordan rubs their hand over their face and groans. “Alright, I guess it’s my turn anyways. See you in the morning Garret, goodnight Tess.” 

“Night.” I snort at their clear displeasure of going grocery shopping. After Jordan walks out the room I give Garret a quick hug goodnight then head on up to a spare room. These rooms are so bleak and not the most comfortable but it’ll make do. I crawl on my bed making sure to avoid my cuts and bruises and relax.  _ Today was such a long day. I miss you grandma. _

(Mariah’s POV)

Tick tick tick tick tick. _ I don’t know where that sound is coming from but I have a really bad feeling _ . All I see is the whitely glow of a path before me amidst the darkness of trees. My body begins to rush down the pathway.  _ Where am I?  _

Tick

_ Why can’t I control my body? _

Tick 

__ I battle to take control but it’s no use. The ominous ticking noise seems to spur my body on without my consent. Each second makes me fall deeper and deeper into dread. It seems like a millennium before I arrive at a familiar little cabin in the woods.  _ Noah!  _ As soon as I open the door, the ticking stops and I feel as though I can move of my own volition. I quietly sneak into the bedroom and see a lump underneath the covers of the bed. Gently, I creep up and pull down the sheets to reveal a sleeping Noah. 

“Noah!!!??” 

The figure in the bed startles awake and falls out of it.

“Ouch. Mariah?? What are you doing here?” 

I stare in shock as my fully well half-brother stands before me. “Wha-what are you doing here? I thought you were dead?” 

“Dead? You are funny Mariah, no I’m just taking a nap before I head back to the hideout.” He wipes a tear from his eye as he composes himself again. I can’t help but smile and tear up a little.  _ He isn’t dead!  _ I close the distance between us and wrap him into a really tight hug. 

“Whoa, are you OK?” He asks with concern as he wraps his arms around my back. “Yeah, I’m good now.” I hold him tighter, grinning into his shoulder. 

Before I know it, his arms drop, his body stiffens and I look up to see what’s wrong. He looks down at me with horror and that’s when I realize the silver knife in my hand plunged just about to penetrate his heart. I try to back away as fast as I can but my hand stays in place.

“No no no! Why can’t I control my hand!” I tug at my hand trying with all my might to remove the offending limb. Suddenly, I feel pressure against my back and an arm sneaking around my waist, pulling me closer. Soft lips brush against my ear as the fragrance of honey and apple vinegar enters my nose.

“Here let me help you with that.” 

I watch helplessly as she caresses my hand with the knife and slowly plunges it deeper into Noah’s flesh. He screams in agony as the blade penetrates his heart and falls back down onto the bed. With the weight lifted off of me, I drop the knife and kneel down to Noah’s side to stop the bleeding. 

“You’re going to be OK.” 

His gaze slowly meets my wet one and he softly smiles before taking my hands in his. “You can’t save me but just know, this isn’t your fault.” Those are his last words as the light fades from his eyes.

“Noooooo Noahhhhh!”

.

.

.

I wake up in a cold sweat trying to catch my breath. I turn to look at the clock on my bedside table.  _ Ugh only 8am, what gives.  _ I shake my head trying to forget that disturbing nightmare when I hear a knock on the door. 

“Come in!” 

“Hey, I heard you tossing and turning. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what happened? It sounded like you were having a nightmare.”

I put on a fake smile and waved off Hilary’s question. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I promise.”

She stares at me for a few seconds. “Well, I’ll be the only one getting breakfast at 10am if you change your mind.” 

After she leaves, I lie back down only to remember what’s hiding beneath my bed. I reach down to pull the article of clothing out.  _ What am I supposed to do with this? Why did I take it back with me in the first place? Why did I let her go?  _ I throw my head into my hands with all these confusing unanswered questions swirling around in my brain.  _ Maybe I can tell Nick about it, we can all track her down and try to get answers from her again. She won’t be able to outrun all of us for her crimes.  _ I feel my face harden as I think about her.  _ No. I want to do it myself. I can’t help but feel responsible for what happened, I’ll take care of it.  _ With that in mind, I tie an extra set of clothes with the coat to my leg, shift and run back down the tunnel to the assassins home.

As soon as the house is in sight I sneak up to a nearby window. It’s pretty dark in the house, I breathe in deeply to see if I can catch her scent again.  _ Damn, her trails old, she must not be here anymore.  _ I turn around to go back to the hideout when a new but similar aroma tingles my senses. I duck a little when a light goes on in the house and peer through the glass. Walking into the kitchen is a blonde woman pouring herself a bowl of cereal.  _ She seems old enough to be the assassin's mother.  _ Suddenly a great idea pops into my head. I know assassins are very private about their occupation and considering the raven haired beauties trail is really cold, she most likely hasn’t told this woman anything about me yet. But, who knows her mother could be an assassin too. My gut tells me she isn’t though so I’ll take the chance and go through with my plan, maybe dig up some information on her daughter that I could use later. With the plan set in place I leap behind a bush and return to the door fully clothed with the coat in hand. I knock twice and the door opens up to a confused but friendly face. 

“Hi, can I help you with something?” 

I put on my best charming smile and get into character. “Hi! I’m Mariah, one of your daughter's friends. She left her coat at the house last night so I thought I’d return it. Is she here by any chance?”

The woman’s confusion is replaced with a megawatt smile. “Oh hi!! Tessa’s not in right now but I’m Sharon, come on in! It’s so nice to finally meet one of her friends. I almost thought she was making them up since she’s never introduced me to any of them. Would you like some water or tea?” She asks while she motions for me to have a seat on the couch.

“I’ll take some water actually, I’m a bit parched thank you.” As Sharon gets up to get a glass of water I take in the beautiful decor around me when my eyes land on a picture of the blonde, Tessa and another girl laughing together. “You have a beautiful home. Is that your other daughter in the frame next to Tessa?” The blonde gives me a sad smile as she hands me the glass and sits down across from me. 

“She was.” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” 

“No, it’s ok. Crystal died a couple years ago. An intruder sneaked into the house while we were all asleep and kidnapped her. We found her bones two weeks later while police were searching in the woods.” 

I’m not very shocked considering the things I’ve seen, but still, that sucks. I have a feeling there is more to the story but I won’t pry. “I’m so sorry your family had to go through that.” I reach across to put my hand on her knee in a comforting gesture. 

“Thank you, yeah it was hard for a while, it still is at times but I think Tessa took it the hardest. They were so close, they did everything together.” Sharon pauses obviously thinking about a good past memory. “They were a handful as kids. One morning they went into the kitchen to go make some pancakes and when I woke up I walked into a kitchen full of pancake batter and messy children.” She starts to laugh at the memory and I can’t help but smile. She kind of reminds me of my mom a little bit. 

Before I could ask Sharon more questions, I heard the sound of the front door opening.

_ “ _ Hey mom, I have to leave soon but I just wanted to check in and make sure you were OK.” 

As she finishes she locks eyes with mine.  _ Oh fuck me. _


	5. The Grey Area

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya peeps! I hope everyone is doing well during this quarantine. Here's a new chapter, enjoy!!

(Tessa’s POV)

**The night before**

I can feel the pain seeping through my body as I try to go to sleep.  _ Yeah, I’m not getting sleep tonight.  _ I toss the ice pack off my face and rummage around through the drawers in the room.  _ Maybe I can find a...ha!  _ A medium sized glass bottle rests in my hand as the shiny black liquid coagulates when it senses the warmth of my skin. I screw open the top and force a gulp down my throat. 

“Ugh, yup, this stuff still tastes like shit.” 

I cough a couple times before lying back down in bed.  _ I got to ask Adam where he finds these things.  _ The tar like substance I just drank is a medicine that Adam places in various guest rooms for when we need to heal faster. That is one thing Adams never talked about. The various items he says he “finds” on his way back from his monthly trips. It’s almost magical how great the stuff works. After setting the bottle on the nightstand, I gingerly crawl back under the covers and fall asleep as the medicine starts flowing through my veins. 

The next morning, I stir awake as the sunlight kisses my eyes through the blinds.  _ Oh god that’s bright.  _ I blink my eyes awake a couple times before tilting my head to look at the time.  _ 7:30am. It’s way too early for my liking.  _ I take a deep breath and drag myself out of bed. Looking in the mirror I see how well the black liquid worked. The scratches and wounds on my body have healed nicely; the swelling in my eyes have gone down leaving only a slight bruising around one and the area around my stitching is looking less nasty.  _ Hey, what’s cookin’ good lookin’.  _ I think to myself as I point finger guns in the mirror.  _ Time to go for a run then go visit my mom.  _ Once I pull my hair up in a ponytail and throw on some jogging wear, I grab my earbuds and run out the door. 

I push myself in the rising heat of the sun as I will my body to go even faster; expertly using the trees and bushes as obstacles to propel myself through the forest. These are the times I feel the most at ease. There is nothing like the acute awareness one has as they focus on steady breaths and the feel of strained ache just below the skin. I don’t have any specific destination in mind but that’s the whole point. To let go of control and let instincts take over. 

I end up at the same place I was the night before. The lake in the middle of the woods. I take off my shoes and splash through the shimmering water, letting the warmth of the rays shine across my face. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.  _ Might as well take a dip while I’m here.  _ I take out my ponytail and throw my clothes over to the side. After a few laps, I slowly relax and let the water caress me, lulling me to sleep with the coolness of its cover. 

“Hey bitch!”

I startled fully awake, grabbing the nearest pair of lily pads to attack with before I realized who it was. 

“Jesus Lily, you scared the crap out of me!” 

“What’re you going to do? Slap me to death with those things?” She barely gets out before bursting out in laughter. “That’s what you get for that little prank you pulled on me last week.” She states with a triumphant smirk.

“I mean you got to admit it was pretty good, Alina’s a great make up artist.” 

“True, which reminds me I have to get her back as well.”

I chuckle as I drop the lily pads back into the water and walk over to my clothes. 

“Where’s Cane?”

“He’s out hunting with Charlie.” 

I struggle to pull on my shirt as it sticks to my wet skin. “Ah, boys day out I see. Why didn’t you go with them?”

A sorrowful expression fills itself across Lily’s face and I immediately know why. I walk up to her and give her a comforting shoulder squeeze. “Say hi to Mattie for me.” 

A few years ago we had a girl named Mattie in our division. She was a sweet kid, fierce assassin and a very determined learner. Before us assassins can get our own missions, we have to go out and hunt with our mentors first. Only when they say we are ready, is when we can go out on our own. Of course, Lily being Mattie’s mom, had opted to be her mentor as well. When she and Mattie went out on a mission during the wee hours into the night, they decided to take a break eventually and get some rest. Mattie woke up to the sound of heavy footfalls. Deciding she wanted to prove herself to her mom, she got up and followed the paw prints where they lay. Once she spotted the two shapeshifters stalking a deer 20 ft away from them, she quietly climbed up a tree successfully hiding herself from sight. 

There is a reason why we assassins, in the beginning, only go on missions with our mentors supervision and sometimes help. The feel of a first kill changes a person and in that moment, they either freeze up and contemplate what they have done, or they bury their feelings and deal with it later. Unfortunately, Mattie was the former. She leapt from the tree knife in hand, landing on one of the shapeshifters and stabbing him through the eye, killing him instantly. This sent her into a shock and before she knew it, his brother was on top of her, clamping his jaws around her throat. She started frantically screaming and stabbing any part of the wolf she could but it was already too late. He dug deeper into the soft warm flesh and ripped her throat out leaving her to bleed to death on the bed of the forest floor. The next morning Lily found the body of her daughter and she hasn’t been able to fully forgive herself since. 

I take my leave as I begin to feel eyes other than Lily’s on me.  _ I should probably get going.  _ Leaving her with a gentle smile, I make my way towards my house. 

**Present time**

“Hey mom, I have to leave soon but I just wanted to check in and make sure you were OK.” I close the door and turn around to see the redhead from last night sitting across the chair from my mom. I tried to school my shock and instinct to attack as my mom acknowledged my presence. 

“Hey Tessa! Thanks for checking up on me but you don’t have to. Just know I’m here for you too OK? I’m your mom, I should be the one taking care of you, not the other way around. We are all we have left.” She goes in to hug me and I hug her back glaring at the redhead on the couch _.  _ She puts on this stoic facade but I can tell I caught her off guard by the way she shifts uncomfortably.  _ I’m going to find out why you are here and I swear if you did or will do anything to hurt my mom I will end you.  _ Sharon pulls back and sits back down on the chair. “Mariah brought you your coat back from the sleepover.”  _ So she told my mom I was her friend. Hmm, I’ll play along for now.  _ I plop down next to her and sling my arm around her shoulders for a side hug. “Thanks M. I’ve been looking for my coat everywhere.” For a good second she stares at me like I’ve grown three heads but quickly gets back into character. “Of course Tess, your coat seems really important to you so I thought I’d just return it as soon as possible.” She pats her hand on my knee while smiling way too wide for comfort. It feels like a silent challenge. We both stare each other down, me trying to figure out what she’s up to and her probably planning her next move.

“Tessa, what’s that bruise on your eye? Have you been in a fight?!” My mom breaks the stare off when she runs up to get a better look at my face. 

“Don’t worry mom it’s nothing I can’t handle.” I say glancing at the red head next to me. “I was sparring with Alina, she ended up clocking me in the face.” 

“Well OK, as long as it’s not something too dangerous. Do you want an ice pack?” 

“No thanks, I actually have to get going now. I’ll be back for dinner.” 

“Alright, be safe sweetie.” She gives me a hug goodbye before turning to Mariah. “Well I have to start getting ready for work, but it was nice meeting you Mariah.” 

“Likewise.” 

As soon as my mom walks out of the room I remove my arm from Mariah’s shoulders and grab her hand, almost dragging her out the door. I can barely contain my anger as I slam her up against a tree and push my forearm against her throat. 

“You have 5 seconds to explain to me why you are here and what you want.”

“I-I just wanted t-to give you back your jacket.” 

“Wrong answer.” I press my arm further against her trachea. She grabs at me trying to get it off but it’s no use. I have the upper hand in this situation. 

“D-doesn’t matter you won’t kill me.”

I can feel rage spilling over as emotions I’ve pushed down come riling up to the surface. I press closer to her, furthering her restriction to breathe. 

“And what makes you think that.” I snarl.

“B-because, y-your mother could come out at any moment. Y-you really want her to question why you just k-killed your “friend”?” As her face turns a light shade of purple I know she’s right. This is not the way to keep my mom safe. 

I release the pressure on her throat and watch as she falls to the ground coughing. 

“I promise, you don’t have to worry about me or anyone else hurting your mom.” The shapeshifter gets up and looks me dead in the eye. “I didn’t tell anyone where you live. Your mom's sweet and quite frankly, she doesn’t know anything and I’m all for keeping the blissfully unaware, blissfully unaware. It would create less problems in the end for the humans and both our sides.” 

I still have my guard up but she makes a good point and I can see the sincerity in her eyes so I relax slightly. “So, if you didn’t come here to get back at me through my mom—“ I take a step closer to her. “Then why are you here?” As Mariah opens her mouth to speak, I turn my head towards the familiar voice calling out to me. 

“Hey sweetie, I forgot to ask you what you wanted for dinner.” 

“Salmon’s good.”

“Gotcha. I was going to ask your friend if she wanted to join us but it seems she’s already left.” 

I snap my head back to see that she really has disappeared.  _ That sneaky little… _

(Mariah’s POV)

I silently slipped behind a tree trunk while Tessa’s attention got caught elsewhere. I press up closer against the tree as she snaps her head around realizing I’m gone. I wait a few seconds before I hear footsteps walking in the opposite direction.  _ Alright, good to go.  _ I peek around, making sure the coast is clear before booking it back home. 

I jog through the back entrance of the hideout spotting Hilary, Kyle, and Lola finishing up breakfast in the dining room. “Whew! I got to admit I need to work out my human form more.” I declare as I take a second to catch my breath. I catch three pairs of amused eyes on me as I join my friends at the breakfast table. 

“Good morning to you too!” Kyle replies after taking a swig of his morning coffee. “Ew you smell sweaty, what have you been doing this morning?” 

I rub my perspired arm against his forehead. “What does it look like, I was jogging.” 

“In that outfit, I don’t think so.” Hilary chimed in. 

“What? This is perfectly acceptable jog wear.” 

“Yeah sure, if you were trying to wear yourself out in the first few minutes.” I roll my eyes as I ignore Kyle's comment. 

“So Lola, I thought you were done prepping for the feast today, last night. Why’re you up so early?” 

“Well, this one tried to help me out in the kitchen last night and ended up accidentally burning some of the food.” She explains as she looks lovingly at Kyle. “It was already late so we decided to go to bed and wake up early to finish up.” 

“Oh you finished up alright.” Hilary states raising her eyebrows while inconspicuously sipping her coffee. I burst out laughing. 

“I swear these two lovebirds just can’t get enough of each other, Mariah, you are lucky you don’t have a room next to them.” I snort as I notice Lola and Kyles faces blushing profusely. 

“Annnd that’s my cue to go finish the enchilada’s.” Lola says while getting up to go do just that. 

“Need any help babe?”

“Nah, I can finish the rest.” She leans down to give Kyle a peck on the lips before turning to finish her duties. 

It's a shapeshifter ritual to hold a feast after one of us is set in the ground to celebrate that person's life. Before we dig into our food, we all stand up and each person goes around the table to say one word about the dearly departed. We’ve done many of these already but I can already tell for me that this one is going to be just as hard as Devon’s was. Maybe even harder. I’m jostled out of my thoughts as Hilary starts to speak. 

“It’s time for me to go finish up the arrangements for the funeral.” Hilary says while looking down at her watch. “Remember you two, we are starting at 12pm sharp so don’t be late.” With that, she casually struts off to finish her duties. 

“Alright, now it’s just us.” My best friend turns toward me with a serious countenance. “So what’s really going on.” 

I still don’t really want to talk about it but Kyle’s always been there for me and I know if I ask him to keep it confidential, he will. So, I tell him everything from the scent I picked up in the cabin to the interaction I had with Red Riding hood this morning. After I finish, he looks at me perplexed. 

“Wow, you’ve really had an eventful past 14 hours. I didn’t even know assassins could show mercy.” 

“Me neither. She really surprised me but I think it was more so out of respect than mercy. She is a formidable opponent. We both kept each other on our toes.”

“Sounds like you admire her a little bit.” I slam my coffee cup down a little too hard.

“Yeah, no.” I glower directly into Kyle's eyes. “She killed my half-brother, I really dislike her.”

“OK” Kyle raises his hands up in surrender. 

“But I respect her fighting skills, I’ll give her that.” 

“Look all I’m saying is, there’s got to be more to the story. From what you’ve told me, she doesn’t seem like a cold blooded killer that has a vendetta against us like the majority of assassins do.” 

“But she killed Noah and she would have tried to kill me too if it wasn’t for her mom.” 

“And that exactly proves my point because why would a cold blooded murderer care about what her mom thinks. Also, there are no what ifs in this situation. She didn’t kill you, twice might I add.” 

“She wouldn’t have been able to anyways.” I mumble under my breath.

“What was that?” He responds with a knowing smirk. 

“Oh shut up, I know you can hear me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get ready for Noah’s funeral.” I look back to see Kyle smiling and shaking his head as I walk up to my room. 

_ There is no way what he’s saying makes sense.  _

His words rumble around through my mind as I step into the shower and let the hot water soothe my body.  _ The talk I had with Sharon today was not what I was expecting. What did she mean by they were the only ones left? When I was looking at the pictures, I thought a few of them looked very recent and had an elderly woman in them. Unless...she recently died which would explain why Sharon said that in a grieving tone. Could that be the “more to the story” that Kyle was talking about? And come to think of it, how did Tessa even heal so quickly? She looked almost radiant today. Ugh, I’m just going to stop thinking, I’m giving myself a headache trying to figure all of this out right now.  _

I turn the water off and exit the bathroom to put on a modest black dress and some makeup to cover up the already fading bruise on my eye. I look at the time and it’s five minutes to 12 so I head downstairs and outside to a vast green meadow where we hold all our funerals. I walk over to stand next to Hilary as Nick walks up to the podium to begin. 

“As we know, one of ours has fallen last night. Noah Newman was not only a great Alpha to our pack, he was a brave, helpful, funny, smart and easy going son of mine that I will always cherish in my heart forever.” Tears start bridging over Nick's eyes as he goes on and I can’t help mine slipping through either. “He was always the one that people went to when things got tough, I remember when he was a kid, he would take the fall for whatever mischievous things the kids got up to, like the first time they all went down to the Hollow.” I look around and sadly smile back at the rest of our little group that went down there together. “But most of all we can’t forget his courageousness, he’s helped further unify us as a pack and has made some tricky decisions that didn’t always go as planned. But him and Mariah together were a team that was hard to beat.” He glances at me with a soft smile before turning his eyes towards the rest of the pack. “Would anyone else like to come up and say a couple of words.” 

“I would.” I say as I walk up towards the podium tears streaming down my face. Nick passes me a tissue that I blow my nose into before speaking.

“Hi everyone, Noah was the best half brother I could’ve ever asked for. He took care of me when I felt like I couldn’t, gave me tough love when I needed it and kept me from ripping Snowflakes hair out on more than one occasion.” I get a chuckle throughout the audience and Summer grinning while wiping a tear stained eye. “He has a very forgiving heart and was the type that always looked on the bright side of things no matter how bleak the outcome seemed and that is one of the many things I’m going to miss about him.” I pause for a second to regain my composure. “Does anyone else want to come up?” I step down from the Podium as Summer starts making her way up. I stop for a second and solemnly face the open casket only to see the unrecognizable ashen face of my half brother. I close my eyes and walk back to my spot. 

(Tessa’s POV)

“I’ve got some bad news and some good news for you all today.” That’s how Adam (black hood) starts off most of our meetings. I’ve got Alina to my left and Garret to my right (yellow hood and blue hood respectively). Alina is an outspoken, long haired brunette Persian with a short stocky build. “I feel like there’s bad news everyday.” She whispers to me while rolling her eyes. Her and Adam don’t get along at all. They are like Cat and Dog, if there is someone fighting over tactics and strategies in this building it’s bound to be them. I turn my head towards Adam as he continues. “The bad news is Jessie has been killed in battle.” I stare in shock and worry as the news of Alina’s boyfriend's death hits our ears. She doesn’t show any emotion but I can tell she’s dying inside by the way she’s clenching her right fist.  _ I’ll talk to her about it later. _ “The good news is that one of you will be promoted to my new right hand. And I already have the person in mind. This person is a quick learner, has mastered all of our fighting techniques in such a short time. I see them possessing a quality that even rivals my determination and that has been proven countless times out in the field.” I glance over at Phyllis (Grey hood), to see her smiling and take a deep breath as she awaits her name being called.

“And this person is Tessa Porter.” I am shocked for the second time today as Adam acknowledges me. “What?!” I hear a high pitched screech across the table. “Adam! You know very well I have the right qualifications for the position and way more experience.”

“Yes you do, but you don’t have as many completed hits as Tessa does.” I feel numb as I think of Noah, I don’t know why it bothers me so much, these shapeshifters are easy to kill with no remorse because they are vile and a threat to humanity. But recently, things don’t seem as black and white as they used to be. 

“And it’s exactly the drive and ambition that hones the skills in a person, that I deem should be my right hand. Now don’t get me wrong Phyllis, you have plenty of drive and ambition as well. You are just, not as skilled.” 

That gets Phyllis to shut up but not before she glares and scowls at me. I make sure I look bored by her antics too piss her off because honestly, she gets on my nerves. I can tell I’m successful when her scowl deepens and she sits back down in her chair giving up our little staring contest first before Adam begins talking again. 

“Now, we are about done here so does anyone else have anything to report?”

“Do you know anything about a shapeshifter who can half shift? Because I came across one today.” I catch a little flicker of something I can’t decipher in Adam's eyes before Phyllis interrupts. 

“Haha wowww, see now she’s making up stories. Half shifting shapeshifter my ass!” Phyllis laughs before Adams glare shuts her up. 

“No I don’t know anything about that, but that is interesting. Anyone else have anything to report?” There’s complete silence at the meeting table.

“OK!” Adam claps his hands together. “I’ve got new hits for you all so come find me in 2 hours.” Everyone starts getting up to leave when Adam comes over and pulls me away from everyone else. “Come meet me in the west hallway in thirty minutes.” I nod my head before he takes his leave.  _ I bet it’s probably about Mariah, I have a feeling he knows more than he’s letting on.  _

It doesn’t take me long before I find Alina staring blankly at the sky against an oak tree. I sit down next to her and lean my head on her shoulder. 

“It’s going to be ok.” I reassure her.

She leans her head down on top of mine and doesn’t say anything for a good few minutes before opening her mouth. 

“All I want to do is break down and cry but what good would that do? He’s gone, I can’t do anything about it. That’s what my mind is saying anyways, but my heart hasn’t caught up to it yet.” 

“I know how you feel, you feel like he could walk through that door at any moment, run up and give you a hug like any other day.” 

“Yeah. How did you get through this with your sister?” She lifts her head up and forces her empty eyes towards mine.

“Some days are harder than others but, it gets easier with time and acceptance.” 

We both sit in silence while taking in the view of the soft poppies scattered around the field. After a few minutes go by I check the time. 

“Hey, I got to go, Adam wanted to talk to me about something. Are you going to be ok?” 

“I’ll take it one day at a time.”

I grab her hand and squeeze it affectionately. “If you need me just text OK?” I get up and start walking towards the door when I hear my name being called out. 

“Hey Tessa! Thanks for the talk.” Alina grows a genuine smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. 

I smile and nod back disappearing inside the building. 

I find Adam leaning up against the wall, arms crossed, eyes furrowed, clearly pondering something. “Hey, what’s up, you OK?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He shakes his head and motions for me to follow him. I begin to feel this tingling in the back of my head but when I turn around, I see nothing but an empty hallway.  _ Hmmm.  _ Adam leads me down right before the edge of the staircase and presses his wristband up underneath a beautiful painting of a hollow tree. A portion of the wall dissolves into a hologram to reveal a wooden door guarding a cozy little office inside. 

“Now that you are my second in command, you get privileges to the more secret places of this building. Now if you don’t mind, shut the door, we have some important matters to discuss.” As he turns and makes his way to his chair, I get this odd feeling I’m being watched again but notice there’s no one in the vicinity. I close the door and chalk it up to paranoia. 

I really should have listened to my instincts.

“I want to hear more about this half-shifting shapeshifter.” He stares at me curiously. 

“Well, she’s tough to beat, gave me a run for my money.”

“Did she seem more powerful than the other shapeshifters you’ve fought in the past?” 

“In some ways yes, she didn’t get confused like the rest do when I threw a couple smoke bombs her way. So I think her senses are heightened.”

Adam folds his arms over the desk with an unreadable expression. “I want you to watch her, do not engage, just watch her. And make sure you don’t tell anyone about this.”

_ What an odd last request he gave me.  _ “Is there something else I should know?”

  
“Nothing that should concern you. We’re done here.” He replies calmly but sternly. I can’t help the wheels that turn in my head as I walk out the door.  _ What else does he know?  _ Unbeknownst to me, a calculating birdy that heard everything was lurking in the shadows plotting her next move. 


	6. Unveiled Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's up peeps! I know it's been a few months but I will finish this fic eventually XD Enjoy!

(Mariah's POV)

After the feast, I walk over to the kitchen to help Lola with the dishes.

“I got to say, give my compliments to the chef because that food out there was amazing.” 

She flashes me an appreciative smile. “Ehhhh, I could’ve added a little more spice to it but thank you.”

“I think you should open up your own restaurant. Your food would be top of the line for humans and our kind everywhere. I can see it now, la vida Lola.” 

She chuckles at the thought. “I hope to achieve that someday but for now, I am happy to be here serving you guys some delicious food.”

We fall into a comfortable silence as we start washing the plates. The next thing I know, I feel a tiny pool of water splash over my arm. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry, must’ve bounced off the plate.” Lola leans over to grab some paper towels but I’m not letting her off that easy. 

“Hey!” She laughs as I sprinkle her in the face with water. I start giggling as Lola and I have our own little water fight when Victor steps into the room. 

“Well aren’t you two having a fun time. Mariah, can I speak with you privately for a minute?”

I share a playful look with Lola before following Victor into his office. 

“Mariah, I know things have been tough for you but we have to keep on moving. The Riding Hoods are not giving any rest so neither can we. As you know, my blood disease inhibits me from being alpha again and I know you don’t want it because you rejected it last time, but at this point you are the only viable option. So you will be our pack's new alpha.”

“But Victor! I’m not ready yet, I can’t just—“

“Nonsense, you are very ready and very capable. I’ve seen how you and Noah have worked together when he was alpha and I have no doubt your skills will only strengthen us.” Victor squeezes my shoulders and looks me dead in the eyes. “You’ve got this Mariah, just like me, you were born to be alpha, you have it in your blood.” 

Knowing Victor once he sets his mind on something, there is no way to get him to change it. “Fine...I’ll do it.” 

(Tessa’s POV)

The next day I decide to start my stalking career towards a very intriguing yet irritating person. I still don’t know what to make of her, all I know is I don’t trust her. 

  
_ Her base would probably be the best place to look for her...I just got to figure out where that is.  _ I hear the sound of footsteps in the distance.  _ Shapeshifters.  _ I hide behind a tree trunk as they pass me by. One of them seems to be carrying a large elk over their shoulder.  _ They must be bringing the food back, this is my chance to find Mariah.  _ I carefully tail their trail making sure I stay far enough away to not get myself caught. Eventually they lead me out onto this open grassy field where there seems to be a celebration of some kind going on. I keep to the edges of

the forest as I watched the shapeshifters with the elk place it on a makeshift table in front of an older man in a suit.  _ Considering he looks like a man that commands respect, he must be the alpha.  _ I only have to wait a few more minutes before a fiery redhead steps out of the opposite end of the forest conversing with a couple of her people. 

_ There you are. _

She has a few stray locks shaping the side of her face while the rest of her auburn hair is up in a ponytail. A ceremonial admiral top hugs her curves paired with navy blue jeans and black heeled boots that go up mid calf. 

_ Damn she looks good.  _

I quickly shake my head to focus on the task at hand. She walks up to the opposite side of the elk waiting for the older man to give his speech.

“As you all know, the death of my grandson is a great and terrible loss. But, we have to keep moving forward for what lies ahead. I will not be taking back the mantle of alpha. I am officially retiring.”

Gasps and murmurs are heard throughout the group until the guy starts speaking again.

“I will however be giving the mantle to someone who I think is worthy and experienced enough to lead our pack. And I, Victor Newman, have chosen Mariah to be the next alpha.” Howls erupt from the pack as he hands Mariah a metal blade which she uses to skillfully carve out the heart of the elk. Stretching out her arm to bring the bleeding organ closer to Victor, he dips two fingers into the red liquid and drags the blood down both of her cheeks. “Now, it is time for the trial to begin!” Newly erupted howls echo into the wind as a couple guys lift Mariah up and start stampeding in my direction.

_ Shit. _

I run back deeper into the forest trying to stay as far away from the howls as possible when I stumble upon a dark cave nearby. I dive into the cave as the howls get closer and hide behind a large rock 30 ft from the entrance. I realize to my horror that the pack has halted at the entrance of the cave and has let Mariah down to walk into it. Once she’s inside I hear them grunting as they start rolling a gigantic boulder to cover up the entrance.

_ Oh come on!  _ I think as I lightly bang my head against the rock I’m hiding behind. Before I can do anything else, I feel strong hands grab my shoulders and shove me into the stoney wall. 

“I knew I recognized that scent, why are you following me!” She growls the last part as she starts half-shifting. 

“You and your pack were the ones chasing me down!” I lie easily. 

“Why can’t you just leave me alone! You’ve already caused enough damage to my family.”

“Your family!?” I feel myself boiling with rage at everything her ‘family’ has cost me. “Your ‘family’ are vile creatures that think they can take whatever they want whenever they want without a thought to the holes they leave in the lives of others.”

“What are you talking about!?” Each one of us fueling the other into a blazing lava pit of anger and pain. The fire in her eyes burns bright as she lifts me from the wall just to slam me back into it again. “Your people are the slaughterers. You murder my people, YOU KILLED MY HALF-BROTHER.” 

“AND NOAH KILLED MY SISTER AND GRANDMOTHER!”

The fire is immediately replaced with shock and realization giving me my window of opportunity to jab Mariah in the throat and crouch down to sweep-kick her onto the rocky floor. My own rage starts to dissipate as I pull out my Sai's getting into a defensive stance a few feet behind her.

She coughs trying to catch her breath as she stands back up. “What (cough) do you mean?”

I feel myself starting to get irritated with her. “I mean what I said.” 

“No, I meant what happened?”

“That’s none of your business. Why do you want to know?”

The she-wolf takes a deep breath and shifts back to full human before responding. “Look, why don’t we call a truce for now and I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

I weigh my options and decide to holster my weapons before sliding down against the cave wall. A part of me wants to tell her just to let out everything I’ve been trying to shove down. “How do I know I can trust you.”

She sits across from me propping herself up on the opposite side of the cave. “You can’t, but I can’t trust you either so I’ll take a chance if you will, just this once.” 

I look at her hesitantly. “Fine, but only because I’m too tired to argue with you more at this point. Is it possible to turn that off by the way? Your eyes are very...distracting.”

She scrunches her eyebrows together. “Oh! You mean the glow! Yeah that’s just a wolf thing. It helps me see better in the dark, you’re just going to have to get used to it.” She smirks.

I roll my eyes before beginning the story. 

**_flashback 2 years ago_ **

I’m lying in my bed reading The Young and the Restless when I suddenly hear a cry from the kitchen.

“Ouch!” 

I rush over to see that Crystal has burnt her arm from the bacon grease so I grab a grease catcher from the cabinet. 

“Here use this, it should catch the grease and not get it on you.”

“Yeah, yeah I know.”

I lean myself against the counter and chuckle. “Of course you did, you just conveniently forgot to put in the grease splatter screen.” 

She makes a face at me when I hear keys jingling in the front door. “Mmmm what’s that delicious smell! What’s for dinner tonight?” My mom kisses each of our foreheads before plopping herself down at the dining table.

“Fried Rice.” Crystal replies as she pours three bowls of said food and brings them to the table. 

“Mmm this is really good Crystal!”

“Thanks Tess, I added some special sauce to it this time. How was work mom?” 

“Oh you know same old same old. Although I can say I had a breakthrough with Mrs. Mackers today. I can’t reveal the details because of patient confidentiality but she is one step closer to overcoming her trauma.”

“Good for her.”

“Oh yeah, mom you just missed grandma, she came over for a bit today. She was acting strange, very huggy and emotional.” 

“Hmm that’s strange. I’ll go check on her in the morning. See if she’s alright.”

The rest of the dinner was filled with laughter and easy talk and before we knew it, it was already getting pretty late.

“Alright, it’s time for me to get to bed. Don’t stay up to late girls OK?” 

“Mom, Tess and I are adults now, you don't have to worry about us as much anymore.”

“Well, in my mind you two will always be my baby girls so hush and come give me a kiss goodnight.” 

Sharon leaves us to go to bed and we decide to go outside and strum our guitars for a bit, singing our own rendition of We Are Family by Sister Sledge. 

_ We are family _

_ I got all my sisters with me _

_ We are family _

_ Get up everybody and sing _

**Both:** _ We are family _

_ I got all my sisters with me _

_ We are family _

_ Get up everybody and sing _

**Tessa:** _ Everyone can see we’re together _

_ As we walk on by (And!) _

**Crystal:** _ And we fly just like birds of a feather _

_ I won’t tell no lie _

**Tessa:** _ All of the people around us they say _

_ Can they be that close _

_ Just let me state for the record _

_ We’re giving love in a family dose _

**Both:** _ We are family  _

_ I got all my sisters with me _

_ We are family _

_ Get up everybody and sing! _

After we finish the song, I look over to Crystal staring at the clouds outlined by the moon in the sky.

“Whats up Crys?”

“Nothing, I just- Do you ever think about dad?”

It almost feels as if my heart curls in on itself, becoming impenetrable as it gets callous. “No, I stopped caring a long time ago.” 

“You don’t mean that. I mean yeah he left us but I don’t know Tess, I know he loved us so much it just doesn’t make sense why he would leave.”

“It doesn’t matter why, if you keep focusing on the past looking for answers that won’t come, all it will cause you is pain and suffering. You have to focus on what you know and what is present. He left us and never came back, plain and simple. And honestly, I don’t even remember what he looks like. All we have left of him is a stupid note saying ‘I’m sorry, I can’t do this anymore.’”

“I wish mom kept pictures of him.”

“I’m glad she didn’t.”

Crystal decides to drop the subject so we sit in a tension filled silence absentmindedly picking at guitar strings every now and then. It doesn’t take too long before I feel a yawn coming on. 

“I’m going to go to bed, coming?”

“Not yet, I want to be out here a little longer.”

“Alright goodnight.” I stop half way through the door and poke my head back out.

“Why don’t I make you some pancakes in the morning. Sounds good?”

“If you want me to eat charcoal again, go ahead.”

“Hey! I promise I’ll make them less charry more flarfy.” I retort with a half smile. 

Crystal snorts as she shakes her head. “I don’t think “flarfy” is a word Tess.”

“But, it got you to smile.”

“Oh shut up, go to bed.”

“Love ya squirt.”

“Love you too.”

I’ve always been a light sleeper so when I hear a thump coming from my sisters room, I groggily make my way over to her.

“Hey Crys, it’s 3 in the morning, what’re you still doing up?” I rub my eyes trying to get used to the light and that’s when I see it. My sister's torn arm on the floor. I follow the trail of blood up to a giant midnight furred wolf, on top of her bed, devouring her. Fear rises through me as I feel as though I am frozen in time. Blinding rage passes through the wolf's red soaked features as it slowly turns its head towards its intruder. A low growl ripples through its throat when a blue hooded figure jumps through the open window and tackles it to the ground. I suddenly find the ability to move again so I run into the kitchen to grab a knife. By the time I get back, the cloaked figure, the wolf, and the remains of my sister are gone. All I am left with is a blood splattered room and bits of Crystals shredded flesh scattered on the floor. 

**_end flashback_ **

“I didn't know what to do after that so I decided to call my grandma and she started rambling to herself “oh know, what have I done.” Then she proceeded to tell me that she did what she had to do and I mustn’t speak of what I saw to anyone. She was hysterical for the next couple of weeks. I couldn’t get anything else out of her so I just let it go. I went after Noah after I got recruited. Got him a few times.”

“Ahhhh so you are the one he would complain about because you whooped his ass so hard.”

I suddenly felt uncomfortable with my position, so I cradled my legs up to my chest and rested my head on my knees “Yeah.”

“But, anyway, I didn’t expect him to be at my grandma's house when I went to visit her. When I saw the blood everywhere I knew she was gone. That was the last straw for me.” I cringe at the memory of giving in to the raw hatred and anger. 

Mariah looks at me with surprisingly sympathetic eyes. I don’t need pity, especially not from her. I begin to place my hands on the ground to propel myself up when she suddenly pounces on me, pinning my hand with hers to the ground. Her bright mesmerizing gaze is locked with mine as she whispers “Don’t move.” The she-wolf wraps her fingers around my hand, slowly releasing the pressure on it until I feel a pop in the rock underneath. An arrow flies towards the side of my head out of nowhere and she catches it before it can penetrate my skull. 

We stay like that for a little bit. My eyes adjust to the darkness as I roam over the outlines of her cheekbones, nose, lips…

I clear my throat to break the silence. “Uh, thanks.” 

Mariah blinks a couple times before scrambling off me.“Uh yeah, no problem.” 

“So, what is this place and why are we here?” 

“Well, you are not supposed to be here. But I should let you know, this cave is filled with death traps and creepy critters that go bump in the night.” 

I raise an eyebrow at her. “So again...why are we here?” 

She looks at me hesitantly. “Since you were honest with me, I’ll be honest with you. This is my trial on the way to becoming alpha of the pack. And...there is something I want to tell you—” Mariah gets interrupted by a loud screech deep within the cave. “But, that’s going to have to wait because it’s time to try and hopefully not get devoured by the creature deep in this cave.” 

I stare at her wide eyed until she can’t hold in her laughter any longer. 

“Oh my god I’m kidding! I just wanted to mess with you a little bit.” I sigh, I’m so done with this woman. 

“But seriously though, that’s actually my signal to start my trial.” She starts walking deeper into the cave before turning around to face me. “Well come on! You should stay close to me since this place is booby trapped.” I catch up to her as we go deeper into the darkness. 

“I feel like I’m in an Indiana Jones movie right now.” Mariah starts chuckling at that as she steps over a patch of rock. “Make sure you don’t step on that. These traps are specifically made for shapeshifters. They are so silent, only one of my people can hear when something gets triggered.”

“Wow, I find it funny how I am now forced to trust my enemy with my life literally.”

She suddenly trips me then catches me in her arms before I hit the ground as I barely feel the feathered end of an arrow graze the tip of my nose. 

“Me too. I told you not to step on that rock.” She teases.

I shove out of her arms as I right myself back up. “I’ve got this.” I take a step forward when I suddenly catch a crackle from the corner of my eye. I step backwards just in time for an electric net to fly past my body. “Yeah I think you should lead.” She rolls her eyes at me before taking the lead again. “I have to find and catch the elusird in order to officially become alpha.”

“That’s what that screech was? Dang, I’ve never seen one before. I thought they were all extinct a long time ago.”

“Almost extinct. The one in this cave is the last one left of its kind. We don’t ever kill it, it’s more of a game of catch and release.” 

“Catch and release?! Those things are so volatile, fragile and dangerous; the majority of people don’t even go near them.”

“That’s true, but that’s how we test our new alphas. You have to be very skilled to catch an elusird without killing it or getting killed yourself.”

“Alright I’ll admit I’ll be impressed if you can successfully do that.” 

“Oh you will be.”

The high pitched screech of the elusird echoes closer as we tread deeper into the cave. Mariah had to save me a couple more times but in my defense! It is very, very dark in here. Ten minutes later I see a dim glow in the distance getting brighter as we walk towards it. Mariah points towards the glow. “That is the elusird.” The elusird is absolutely stunning from its crescent blue shimmering feathers to its tiger like face. For something so dangerous it is actually quite cute and only as big as a forearm. The elusird screeches one more time before it’s once blue feathers slowly morph into reflective hues that camouflage itself into the surrounding rock. I get my Sai’s out and stand back to back with Mariah. Our slow breathing slices through the piercing silence that emanates from all around us. It isn’t long before I notice a glowing light in front of me.

“Duck!” 

I barely dodge the Elusirds laser beam as it screeches and whips past us deeper into the cave.

“Here hold these for me.” 

With her back turned to me I can’t help but stare at those taut muscles as she undresses. I only snap out of it when the she-wolf unwittingly tosses her clothes on my face. 

_ Keep it in your pants Porter. _

“You stay here, I’m going to go catch it before it finds the way out.” Before I can get a word in, she shifts and speeds off after the tiger bird.

(Mariah’s POV)

_ Where are you now.  _

I swiftly avoid traps as I follow the scent of the Elusird. As it becomes stronger, I propel myself even faster knowing my prize is just at length's reach. The Elusird reveals itself cuddled up in a hole in the wall as I lunge at it.  _ I have to be very careful, I’ve noticed its laser seems to be triggered by the flap of its wings so the safest way to catch an Elusird is with my tongue. This way I can decrease the chance of shattering it to pieces. _ As I open my jaws to capture it, I notice it stretching out its wings.

_ Shit _

I twist my body to the left feeling the scorching heat graze against my shoulder right before I plow into the wall next to the bird tiger. I hear something akin to glass bouncing across the floor. 

When I shake myself off and look over I see a leg missing from the Elusird as it flies away into the darkness. I begin to chase it again but this time I slow down a bit.  _ I’ll let it come to me. _

I hunch low to the ground, listening and waiting.

Once I hear the sound of a flap behind me, I use a nearby rock to launch myself over the laser beam and capture the Elusird in my mouth before it even has the chance to fly away again. I trot my way back to Tessa so I can lead her the rest of the way out.

“Well thanks for leaving me here! I almost killed myself twice more! Did you catch the bird thing?”

I bear my teeth at her and slightly loosen my jaw so the Elusird can pop its head out and screech. She looks at me dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I’m officially marking this day as one of my weirdest easily.”

I motion for her to follow me and luckily there aren’t as many mishaps once we get to the other end of the giant cave. 

“I thought you said there was a way out?!”

I ignore her comment as I trot through the dead end of the cave and out into the beautiful sunshine. Behind me I chuckle at the annoyed “Of course!” before Tessa emerges through the screen. I feel the Elusird purring in my mouth so I carefully drop my snout down to the ground to release it onto a soft patch of green grass before shifting back into human form. 

“Hey Tessa, you mind handing me my clothes?” I catch a light pink blush glowing on Tessa’s cheeks as she hands them to me. 

“You said you were going to tell me something before the Elusird’s shriek interrupted.”

“Right, I know this isn’t going to make you feel that much better but you should know. Your sister wasn’t the target. Once Noah figured out he killed the wrong person, he went on a spiral. He wouldn’t come out of his room for days at a time, his temperament became a lot worse and he shut out everyone including me.” I paused to swish my hair out of my shirt. “But with time, he started coming out more. He almost became his old self again but, I don’t think he ever fully forgave himself. His smile was never the same after that day, it was like he couldn’t allow himself to feel unrestrained joy. There was always a dark cloud lurking just behind the corner.” 

I sit in the grass gazing out through the trees for a couple minutes when Tessa decides to set herself down next to me.

“I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

I turn my head, meeting her sorrowful expression.

“I’m sorry for yours as well.”

We stay silent, listening to the chirping in the trees. 

“So, if my sister wasn’t the target, who was?”

“...your grandmother.”

I watch as Tessa’s features contort from confusion to realization. “That’s why she was so weird that day.”

“We didn’t figure out who the actual target was supposed to be until later. From what you told me, it sounds like your grandmother spread her scent over your sister, which in turn confused Noah.” 

“Are you implying my grandma is the reason why my sister is dead!”

I put my hands up in surrender. “No! Not at all! I was just thinking out loud as to how Noah could mess up so bad, considering what your grandma did to us—“

“Wait back up, what she did to you guys?”

“Contrary to popular belief Tessa, we only target assassins that attack us first. No more no less.”

“My grandmother was a Riding Hood?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Have an amazing night/day :)


	7. Snuffy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter :)

(Tessa’s POV)

“My grandmother was an assassin?!”

“Huh, I thought you knew that.”

I look at her incredulously. “She was so old and frail, I would’ve never guessed.” 

“She’s not as frail as you think. We had a bunch of newbie trainees being trained by Noah’s girlfriend. They were running out through one of our tunnels when an explosion went off causing the tunnel to cave in crushing everyone to death. Noah was very distraught that day and so he went trailing after the scent of the person that did this and well… you know the rest. Your grandma killed innocent lives that day. All of our newbies are around 15 years of age, just learning how to defend themselves and fight if the situation arises.”

“No. You are lying to me! She would never hurt a soul.”

The coldness in her eyes sends a shiver up my back. “Ask your leader, you will know I’m telling the truth.” 

My head starts spinning with unanswered questions but I don’t get another word in before I hear someone calling for Mariah in the distance.

“You have to go now! I’ll take care of the Elusird.” 

I nod and run off into the trees towards headquarters.

(Mariah’s POV) 

I cradle the tiger-bird in my arms as it peacefully purrs. 

“Mariah did you catch the Elusird?” Nick questions as he runs up to me. 

I give him a small smile. “Yeah, they are actually quite cute when they aren’t trying to kill you.” 

He chuckles as he takes it from my arms and puts it back in its nest behind the screen. “Come on let’s get moving, Kyle and Summer were making a bet on whether or not you’d capture it. Kyle won.” 

“Not surprised Summer would bet against me.”

Once we get back to the hideout I meet everyone in the lounge area for happy howls and congratulations. 

Victor walks up and places a necklace over my head with an ingrained wolf in the center. 

“This is yours now, you earned it.” He smiles at me before turning towards the rest of the pack. “Today, we have found our new alpha. Mariah has been successful in completing her trial and I have no doubt that she will lead us prosperously into a new era against our enemies. I think it’s time for a feast.” The crowd erupts into applause and more howls before everyone settles into easy chat. 

“I’m glad you caught the Elusird, I knew you would be fit to be the new alpha.” 

“Thanks Nikki, although I will say, I still don’t feel like I’m ready.”

“Oh nonsense, your trial proved that you are. Believe in yourself.” 

From the corner of my eye I see Kyle grabbing a glass of champagne as he approaches us. “She’s right Mariah, you got this, just believe in yourself.” 

“Grandma! Did you move the plates? They aren’t in the same cupboard as they used to be.” Reed exclaims as he runs up to us. 

“It’s right by the… you know what I’ll just show you. Congratulations again Mariah.” Nikki smiles and follows Reed into the kitchen when Kyle decides to pull me into a quieter corner of the room. 

“So, give me the details because I can tell more happened than just you catching the Elusird.”

“What! Nothing else happened, like I said I just don’t feel ready to take up the mantle is all.”

“That may be part of it, but there’s something more on your mind. I’m your best friend, you can’t hide anything from me at this point.” He smirks as he sips his champagne.

I cross my arms careful not to spill my own drink and sigh. “Fine, yes there is more that happened.”

“Yessss I knew it, so spill.” 

I check my surroundings before lowering my voice. “Tessa ended up getting trapped with me in the cave.”

Kyle’s eyes almost bulge out of his head. “How did that happen?”

By the time I finished catching him up on everything, we ended up migrating to the couch.

“Talk about chance encounters Mariah.”

“No I don’t think that was by chance, I’m pretty sure she was following me but as to why, well, we kind of got sidetracked so that never came up again.”

“Oh you got sidetracked huh?” Kyle smirked.

Now it’s my turn for my eyes to bulge out of my sockets. “Oh my god no! Not like that and you know it.”

“I’m just teasing you. But see! I told you so, there was more to the story.”

“I will reluctantly agree that you were right this time.”

I suddenly sober up a little as my fingers start playing with the champagne flute in my hand. “It’s just a lot of information to process. I can’t forgive her for what she did, at least not right now.”

“At least not right now?”

“Yeah, there’s just something about her. She isn’t what I expected at all and that kind of throws me through a loop.” 

Kyle flashes me with a sympathetic smile. “The way I see things is that everyone is their own individual person. It doesn’t matter what side you are on, we all have issues and certain things we are dealing with and sometimes, we don’t deal with them the right way. But that’s where individuality comes in. How you handle your mistakes determines the type of person you are.” 

“That was deep Kyle.” 

“You see, I’m not just a pretty face.” 

I playfully slap him on the arm before getting up off the couch. “Come on, let’s join the rest of the pack for dinner.” 

(Tessa’s POV)

_ I still can’t believe my grandmother was like me, a RIDING HOOD.  _ I sigh to myself as I come to the entrance of headquarters.  _ No matter how many times I say it in my head, I just can’t believe it.  _

“Can’t believe what?” 

“Oh Jesus!” I exclaim as I almost run into Garret. “I can’t believe how...good Alina’s cooking has improved since she got here! I mean she used to burn everything, even the stove itself one time remember that?”

Garret breaks out into laughter at the mention of the nefarious stove incident. “She almost burnt the whole kitchen down that day. Good times, good times. At least her food is edible now.”

“At least there’s that. Well anyways, I gotta go talk to Adam so I’ll see you later.” I pat his shoulder and make my way around him when I suddenly feel a hand wrap around my wrist.

“Are you OK Tessa? You know you can talk to me about anything that’s bothering you right?”

I never liked lying to Garret but I feel like I shouldn’t mention anything until I know more about the situation. I bet Adam knows something so for now, I just got to plaster on a smile. 

“I’m fine, Adam called me in for something. I don’t know what it is yet.” 

He sighs as he lets me go. “I’ll let this go for now, but come find me afterwards I want to show you something.”

I nod before briskly walking away. 

It doesn’t take long before I find Adam pensively staring out of his office window with a glass of bourbon in hand. “Hey Adam, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Yeah come on in, I’m guessing you have an update on the half-shifter.”

“I followed her and apparently the shapeshifters were having a ritual. The half shifter is their new alpha.” As soon as I say that, Adam whips his head around, revealing a flicker of… is that pride? Before he becomes serious again. 

“I mean, you did kill their old alpha which is impressive by the way. I knew I made the right choice by making you my right hand woman. Now, I have a new assignment for you.”

My stomach twists into knots at the thought of where he’s going with this. “Do you want me to assassinate the new alpha?” 

“No. I want you to befriend her.”

_ Well that wasn’t what I expected to hear.  _ I lift my eyebrow quizzically before he begins to speak again. 

“I know that you’ve made contact with her against my orders.” I press my lips into a thin line. “Remember Tessa, I have eyes and ears everywhere… so, I thought about it and we can actually use this to our advantage. Get her to trust you, figure out what she knows and report back to me.” 

“Yes sir, before I leave, there’s something else I wanted to ask you about. Did my grandmother ever work for us.” 

“Odessa Porter? Oh yeah, she was a great Riding Hood back in the day from what I’ve heard. Odessa was the best of the best. She was one of the key players sending all the demons back to hell and eradicating all the witches that were left.”

I can’t help but look perplexed at this new information. “Huh, well that’s pretty cool. Has she done anything else? More recently I mean.”

“No, she’s been retired for about three decades at this point.” Adam replies as he starts shuffling through papers on his desk. After a few seconds he stops and looks up at me. “I’m truly sorry for your loss Tessa.”

“It’s fine.” I can tell he wants to say something else but decides against it. “Ok well, if you need anything just let me know. I’m going to get back to my work now.” 

I take my cue to leave but as I close the door, I feel like someone is watching me. Instead of ignoring it this time, I calmly walk down the hallway and turn right hiding myself against the edge of the wall. Shortly after, high heels walk across the wooden floor followed by the creak of door hinges in the direction I just came from. I sneak my way back down the hallway, press my wristband underneath the hollow tree painting and lean up against the revealed door. 

“—and you didn’t demote her for not following your instructions! She’s clearly not mature enough for the position you put her in Adam!”  _ Of course it’s Phyllis.  _

“Actually I think she is very well suited. I know you were listening in on our conversation so you know what I think of her deviating from the plan. She has the right idea.” 

“But you don’t know what I saw. They seemed a little too chummy if you ask me.”

“Then this new plan will work faster than I thought.” I silently chuckle at the vision of a smirking Adam and Phyllis blowing steam out of her ears. “Phyllis, Tessa has been very loyal to us and her grudges against the shapeshifters surpass even my own. You don’t need to worry about her.” 

“Mark my words Adam, you will regret the decision you made.” 

I barely make out those last words when I hear angry footsteps approaching the door. I don’t have time to move from my position so I squeeze myself into the corner behind the door as it swings open. I release a breath once Phyllis strides out and disappears from sight. Walking aimlessly around the hallways I can’t help but wonder.  _ My grandma has retired, I knew Mariah was lying! ….But then again why wouldn’t Adam have told me my own grandmother worked in the same division as I, considering she’s such a top notch assassin. It just doesn’t add up.  _ Lost in my thoughts, I end up in a part of the building I haven’t been to before. I look around the dark hallway and notice a light emerald glow in the cracks between the floorboard and a portion of the wall. I crouch down to get a closer look.

“What the—“

“Tessa!” 

I whip my head around towards the source of the noise to find Garret turning around the corner looking for me.

“I’m down here!”

He pulls out his phone shining the flashlight in my direction. “Geez, it’s so dark in here. Hey, glad I found you. I wanted to show you something, remember?” 

“Oh right right” I reply, looking back down at where the green glow used to be.  _ Weird. _ I pop myself back up and dust off my knees before making my way back to Garret.

“What were you doing down there?”

“I thought I saw something.” I shrug.

“I’ve found so many different bugs in the randomest places.” He shivers. “Creeps me out.”

I crack up at the idea of this big intimidating looking guy being scared of bugs. A smile grows on his face.

“Hey! We are all scared of something, mine just happens to be creepy bugs.” 

“You do know they can’t hurt you right?” 

“Well yeah, but they are just eww lookin’.” 

I burst into another fit of giggles as Garret leads me out to the back part of headquarters. 

“Tadahhh!”

The creature sitting before me is nothing I’ve ever seen before. It has the resemblance of a shapeshifter but made out of steel with glowing blue eyes. 

“You built a robot shapeshifter?” 

“Pretty much, you like it?”

“I mean I’m shocked! I didn’t know you were handy.”

“I’m really not but I have my ways.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “I made him specifically for you. This way we can continually enhance your skill set. What do you want to call him?”

“Ummm how about Snuffy.”

“...Snuffy?”

“What? He’s kinda cute. Therefore, he deserves a cute name.” I raise my hand towards the machine's tilted panting head. 

“I guess he’s cute... in his safe mode anyways.” 

Garret crouches down and pats his knees. I look on in fascination as Snuffy’s tongue morphs into a gooey like substance before reaching down to lick Garret's face. He laughs before looking the metal hound in the eyes. “Transfer ownership to Tessa Porter.” Snuffy’s eyes turn bright green when aimed towards me and next thing I know, I’m tackled to the ground by a gigantic steel wolf. 

“He really likes you.”

“Sit Snuffy.” I giggle as he gets off of me and does as told. “And very well trained, who knew. Wait, how'd you get his body to do this?” I press my hand into the seemingly hard stiff metal when it sinks into it like pin art. 

“When sensing human contact, Snuffy will morph his steel around your ligament so as to not stub your toe or break your wrist when you attack him. It almost feels like you are actually battling a real life shapeshifter. Towards weapons and other metal objects, his armor will harden so that you don’t actually break him. However, he will act as though he is hurt in that area and will act accordingly.” 

“Can he transform into a human as well?”

Garret’s lips quirk up into a grin. “He’s not a transformer Tessa. The only things he has in common with an actual shapeshifter is his size and human-like brain. He tends to learn quicker and adapt faster than humans because he’s a robowolf and that is why he is the perfect sparring partner for you! You’ve already surpassed me, the next step is to go against something that won’t let you hit it the same way twice.” 

“Arf!” Snuffy barks at me wagging his tail. I reach over to pat him on the head. “Who’s a good boy, you are!” Snuffy runs around in a circle kicking up dirt and leaves onto my shirt. 

“Just wait until you see his attack mode. When you are ready say “Snuffy attack me.””

I step a few feet away from said wolf and say those words. Snuffy’s eyes turn to a glowing red as he gets low to the ground and growls at me. He goes for a lunge but I meet his snout with a right hook. I feel the metal envelope my knuckles before he goes down. As he gets back up, he tries lunging at me again but this time spins in midair so my fist misses him throwing me off balance. 

“See, can’t do the same attack twice.” Garret remarks smugly. 

An hour goes by and I’m out of breath lying on the grass next to Snuffy. “You weren’t kidding Garret, I feel like I haven’t been that challenged since fighting Mariah. Although, Snuffy is a little bit of a better fighter, probably because he is built that way.” I scratch said wolf behind the ears before I freeze at the mention of what I just let slip. 

“Mariah?!” Garret quickly sits up and whips his head towards mine. “The shapeshifter you tousled with is Mariah Copeland. The Alpha of the Shapeshifters.” 

I sit up slowly and look around everywhere but at Garret. “Yes?”

“And from the sounds of it you two seem to be on a first name basis. Tessa…” Garret trails off rubbing his face with his hands. “How many times have you been with her?” 

“I swear, it’s only been a few times and I’m not supposed to tell you this but before you get mad, I was assigned to watch her.” 

“Sounds like you’ve been doing more than just watch.” 

I take a deep breath before continuing, might as well just tell him the truth now. “Ok, I got trapped with her in a cave and we helped each other get out of it.” 

Garret's incredulous look would’ve made me laugh if I didn’t feel like I was about to be scolded. Once he realizes I’m not kidding, he looks up at the sky and continues on. “Look, I know you can take care of yourself at this point but still, be careful. If you decide to pursue a friendship with her, you already know I wouldn’t have a problem with it but not many people see it the same way I do.” 

I can’t help my lopsided grin as I lean my head down onto his shoulder. “You’re turning soft on me, you know that?”

“Oh, shut up.”

I notice nightfall has approached as I get out of my nice long shower. Thinking back to the information I got about my grandma, I can’t help but feel like I’m missing something. I start getting my riding hood gear on.  _ There has to be something left at the bomb site that would piece the truth together. I just need Mariah to tell me where it is.  _ Throwing on my red coat, I leap out the window and run towards the edge of the forest. 

As I make it back to the shapeshifters area, I scour the ground trying to find any entrance to their hideout when I hear a rustle behind me. I quickly turn around, Sais in hand when I spot two glowing cerulean circles in the brush. 

“Snuffy?!”

The mechanical wolf slowly emerges from the shrub and tilts its snout up to lick my face. 

“What are you doing here?” I reach out and scratch behind his ears when I hear large footsteps coming up from behind. 

“Well well well, if it isn’t Ms. Red Riding Hood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think has caught Tessa snooping? Duh duh duhhhhhhhhhhh!


	8. The Cave In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya peeps! I know I said Phyllis in my story is not going to be Summers mom but I change my mind :) This change in the story shouldn't affect earlier chapters. Also, I will be adding her POV every now and then. 
> 
> Last chapter: Tessa tries to find Mariah when someone sneaks up on her.

(Tessa's POV)

Without a second thought I grab my side dagger and chuck it at the person behind me. The knife barely grazes his side as he bends out of the way to dodge it. 

“Wait hold—” I barely let him finish his sentence before I flip into a handstand and propel my feet into his chin, knocking him back. Before the stranger can recover I throw a knife into his foot making him fall like a ton of bricks.

“What the hell!” He cries in pain as he tries pulling out the knife from flesh and dirt. The shifter almost gets the knife out when I run up and stomp it back through, deeper into the ground. He cries in agony before I kick his head to the matted floor and hold my foot down over his neck. 

I nearly growl in his face. “What do you want?”

“I just want to—talk.” He strains out. “I’m a friend of Mar—Mariah’s.” 

I release the pressure off of his neck a little bit. 

“Thank you, name’s Kyle.” He coughs before wincing in pain at the knife still stuck in his foot.

I eye him suspiciously before removing my foot and bending down to pull out the knife. 

“Oow! A little warning would’ve been nice.” 

“Keep pressure on the wound, you’ll be fine with a few stitches. Now, what do you want?” I crouch down cleaning the blood off my dagger. 

“I want to know what your intentions are with my girl.”

_His girl?_ I feel a little knot in my stomach at the thought but I ignore it and remain passive. 

“I just need to ask her a question and I’ll be on my merry way.” 

“What question?”

“That is between her and I so if you would kindly point me towards the direction she is in, I will figure it out myself.”

“I’ll do better than that, I’ll guide you there myself on one condition.” 

I cross my arms as I get back up. “And what’s that?”

“Tie your coat around your eyes like a blindfold so you can’t see where I’m taking you.” 

I roll my eyes before helping him up to his feet. “Fine. Put your arm over my shoulders, I’ll help you walk. Snuffy, stay here.” I twist my coat up and wrap it around my eyes before we get going.

“Snuffy?”

“Yup, that’s what I named him. He's a robodog.”

“You Riding Hoods have some weird trinkets. Anyways, how do you know I’m not just going to lead you to your death?”

I answer his question by striking his abdomen and twisting him around into a headlock before putting my blade a centimeter away from his Sclera. 

“Because I can beat the shit out of you blindfolded as well.” I release him and grab his arm around my shoulders again before he can fall over. 

Kyle breathes out, “Fair, fair.”

“You know, Mariah was right, you are pretty badass.”

I can’t help the grin that spreads across my features. The rest of the journey is silent and not very long. It doesn’t take much to get an idea of the path we are taking when you know the forest like the back of your hand. 

“Ok the coast is clear.” We hobble halfway up the steps before a voice calls out for him. “Ah fuck it.” He pulls my blindfold off and hands it back to me. “Turn right, her room is the first door on the left. I'll distract Summer, go.” 

I speed up the stairs and turn right. As I enter Mariah’s room I hear a girl's voice shouting in the distance. “What happened to you?!”

“Tessa!?” I turn right to find Mariah’s confused expression in the mirror mid hair brush. 

(Mariah’s POV)

I look in the mirror to see who came into my room. 

“Tessa!?”

She does a little awkward wave. “Your boyfriend showed me to your room. He was trying to sneak me in and someone almost caught us so he’s dealing with that right now.” 

“Boyfriend?”

“Yeah, Kyle. He was all like “I want to know what your intentions are with my girl.””

I chuckle at her horrible impression of Kyle. “No, he’s not my boyfriend, he’s my best friend and can be a little protective at times. His actual girlfriend is the chef of the house.” 

“Oh, OK cool.” I sense a little relief in her tone as she looks through my Harry Potter collection on the shelf above my bed. “Anyways, I wanted to ask you if you could show me where the obstructed tunnel was.”

I lean myself up against the dresser and face her. “Why?”

“Because I feel like I’m missing something. Both you and Adam are telling me different things and quite frankly I don’t know who to trust. So, I will find out the truth myself.” 

For some reason I feel a little pang in my chest but decide to shelve that for later. “Fine. I will take you to the site but this is the one and only favor I’m doing for you. You can’t just come in here whenever you want to, it’s dangerous for both of us.” 

“You didn’t tell your pack where my mom lives so I will give the same courtesy to you and your guys’ hideout. I’ll owe you one as well.” 

“OK. I’m going to go get changed real quick and then we can head out.” I turn away from her as I take off my pj’s and put on simple jeans with a black tank top and a brown leather jacket. I feel Tessa’s eyes roam over me unabashedly. 

“You look hot.” 

Heat rises in my cheeks as I give her a good natured eye roll. 

“Come on Riding Hood, let’s find your evidence.” 

As we sneak down to the bottom of the stairs I hear footsteps coming around the corner. I quickly grab Tessa’s shoulders and push us into a nearby crevice underneath the staircase. I can’t help but notice the close proximity. How my body molds perfectly into hers, the sound of a slightly elevated heart rate beating through her chest. The intoxicating bittersweet scent I inhaled the first time we fought mixed with a woodsy aroma emanates from her skin. She wraps an arm around my waist pulling me even closer, causing me to gasp a little. 

She softly whispers into my ear. “Your jacket was sticking out.”

As if on cue, I hear Hilary mutter under her breathe “Huh, I thought I saw something.” Before swiftly moving along to her next destination. 

Tessa slowly releases me as I pull myself back. 

“Uh, thanks. That was a close one.” I nervously chuckle. 

Luckily we only have to avoid a few more people before arriving at the cave-in. 

“Alright what’re we looking for Tess?”

I look on bewildered as I hear a bark from a nearby tree before a giant metal wolf comes up to nuzzle Tessa’s cheek. 

“Umm ok. Who’s this?”

I see her face light up as she gives the metal dog a scratch on the head. “Snuffy’s my robodog, he’s really docile. Only attacks when I command him too.” Snuffy stares at me before deciding to lean his head on my shoulder and purr. “I haven’t seen him do that before. But it seems like he likes you.”

I slowly reach up to awkwardly pat him on the head. The metal wolf breathes out in satisfaction before lifting his head back up. 

“You can go back now Snuffy, I’m good here. Thanks for the backup.” He nuzzles up to Tessa’s cheek once more before running off into the forest. Once he’s out of sight, I feel tension radiating from the woman in front of me. 

“You stay put where you are. I’ll look around to see if I can find anything.” 

“Ah, right. You don’t trust me.”

She looks away guiltily. “It’s nothing personal, it’s just not easy for me to trust people.” 

“It’s ok I get it.” I reassure her with a soft smile. “It’s never been easy for me to trust people either and that’s why I’m confused. I can’t help feeling like I want to trust you.” 

A lopsided grin appears across her face. “I confuse you?”

I giggle. “Shut up, and go look for whatever you’re looking for. I’m gonna go sit against this tree.” 

I watch her for a good half hour as she scrambles all over the cave-in. She starts taking out rocks when I notice the rock she’s pulling on will cause a small landslide on top of her. I jump up from my position and sweep her up bridal style out of the way of the falling debris. She looks up at her arms wrapped around my neck before switching her gaze onto mine. 

“I would’ve seen that coming.” 

I give her a wry smile. “Oh yeah, you totally would’ve.” 

As I gently let her down onto the ground, I notice something glimmering in the moonlight.

“What’s that?”

Tessa walks over to the black shiny fragment and bends down to pick it up. Blood drains from her face as she flips it over.

“Yup, this is what I was looking for.” 

“It’s just a fragmented piece of metal.”

“Yeah, but what you can’t see is what happens when I swipe over this object. A slightly cut off ‘O’ and ‘P’ appear for Odessa Porter. We have secret initials on our inventory so we can separate the devices we ship from our own. As you know, to the rest of the world we are just a simple business company that deals in weapons.” 

Concern washes over me as I take in her poker face. “Are you ok?”

Her knuckles around the bomb shard turn white as she looks away. “I’ll be fine, it’s just a lot to take in. You think you know someone.” 

She relaxes her grip a little as I caress the back of her hand. “I’m sorry Tessa. I know you were hoping for a different outcome.”

A beat of silence can be heard all throughout the forest before Tessa turns her head to face me. “Thank you for taking me here. I needed to know the truth, that's all that matters.” I release her hand as she starts walking away. She stops in her tracks and looks back at me hesitantly. “I want to trust you too.” 

(Tessa’s POV)

I walk into Adam’s office and slam the bomb fragment onto his desk. “I found this near a cave in, it has my grandmother's initials on it. Are you sure she’s been out of commission for decades?”

Adam lifts his head up from his paperwork to examine the fragment. “From what I know, yes she has been. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.” 

“There’s got to be something you know, you know everything Adam.”

He quirks an eyebrow up as he considers my statement. “Like I said, I only know what she has done while in employment with us. I came to be head of this division after she retired. Where did you find that fragment exactly?” 

_I can’t let him know the real reason I was there._ “I was going out for my late night jog and stumbled upon a pile of rocks and boulders. There was a shiny thing lying on the ground.” 

Adam studies me for a moment before going back to the shard. “It does have your grandma’s initials on it. The only person I can think of that would know more was the head before me. But, she has passed away.” He gives the fragment back to me.

“Has the former head kept any logs I could look through that might give me a hint into my grandma’s past?”

“No I don’t have anything like that, but you could check out the library in this building. We have our own history written out in the historical section.” 

_He’s not going to tell me much more. I should probably just back off for now._ “I’ll try there then, thanks.” He nods then goes back to his work. _Next stop, library._

(Mariah’s POV) 

Once I get back to the hideout, the adrenaline starts wearing off so I plop myself down on my bed. As soon as my eyelids start getting heavy I hear a rapt on my door. 

“Go away, I’m exhausted.” 

“Well tough shits!” Summer exclaims as she barges through my door. 

_I would be rolling my eyes so hard right now if I wasn’t so tired._ “What do you want, Summer?” 

I exasperatedly question as I sit up on my bed.

“I want you to explain why Kyle is injured and bleeding everywhere.” 

As soon as she says that, my eyes shoot open and I’m suddenly wide awake. “I have no idea, I’ve been out the majority of the night. Is he ok?” 

“Well while you’ve been out and about, he somehow got a huge gash in his foot. He’s giving me some lame story about how he was jumping off a tree branch and landed on a piece of glass on the ground. The cut literally goes through his whole foot, I doubt there’s a piece of glass that big that he wouldn’t have noticed.” 

“And what makes you think I know what happened?” 

“He said he was going up the stairs to find you which makes no sense. He should’ve been going to get his foot stitched up.” 

The gears click in my brain as I realize what might’ve actually happened. “Maybe it was just a piece of glass. I’ll talk to him, where is he now?” 

“He’s with Lola in their bedroom.” I pick up on a twinge of sadness in her voice but decide to let it go for now. 

“Thanks.” 

I walk to the end of the hall where Kyle and Lola’s room are and knock twice.

“Kyle, are you ok?”

The door swiftly opens as Lola waves me in. I walk in to see Kyle watching TV on the bed with his wounded foot elevated. 

“Before you jump to conclusions, I kind of did this to myself. Also, I told Lola everything.” 

“You know, if you told anyone else I would be angry but I get it, you two are a package deal.” I reply grinning at Lola. “So what actually happened because I doubt Summer’s version is the truth.” 

Kyle sits up and looks at me awkwardly. “I may have snuck up on Tessa. A simple case of misunderstanding.”

“So she impales your foot with a dagger.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“I’m still not entirely on board with the whole Tessa thing you got going on Mariah. She seems dangerous.” 

“Oh trust me, if she wanted to kill Kyle she would have.” Lola raises her eyebrow in response. “There’s also the time she could’ve left me to die in the bear trap but she set me free.”

“Well...OK but still, be careful.” 

Kyle smirks. “Eh, I don’t think Mariah needs to worry all too much. It seems like Tessa likes her.” 

“It’s more like a mutual respect.” 

Kyle gives me a look. “OK fine, maybe I like her a little bit too.”

Lola asks. “So you two are friends now?” 

“Maybe? I’m actually not so sure. The lines get blurred a little at times.” 

“That makes sense. You guys have spent the majority of the time at each other’s throats, literally.” 

Kyle chimes in. “Speaking of that, are you ready for your first war meeting tomorrow Mariah?” 

“Oh god, as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“I bet you’ll do fine. Sounds like you might have good ideas that are worth mentioning.” 

Lola raises an eyebrow. “And what are these ideas of yours pray-tell?” 

“Don’t even try babe, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get the vaguest hint out of her.” 

“Yup! I’m not saying anything. All I will tell you guys is that it has something to do with getting Garsonwing and Dayland to join forces with us.” 

Lola’s eyes go wide. “Ambitious, I like it! I can’t wait to hear what ideas you have once they get approved.” She covers her mouth to yawn.

“And that’s my cue to leave. I’ll let you guys get some rest and Kyle? You should do something with that foot, it‘s not a good look for you.”

“Ha ha. Goodnight Mariah!”

(Phyllis’s POV)

I close the door behind me and walk up to Adam’s desk with a knowing smirk. “Your text seemed very ominous, what’s up?”

“I know you’ve been keeping an eye on Tessa, but now, I need you to meddle.”

_Now those are my kind of words._ I plop down into the couch chair crossing my legs. “What type of meddling are we talking about here. Sabotage, fake murder, oooo a set up?” 

“It’s a little more mundane than that. I want you to make sure Tessa doesn’t find out anything more about her grandmother. Nothing at all. It’ll lead down a rabbit hole that doesn’t need to be uncovered.” 

I fix him with a sympathetic gaze as an emptiness clouds his. “You didn’t mean for that to happen Adam.”

“It doesn’t matter. I chose my side, it happened and it’s one of the few things I will forever regret.” I watch the determination come back into his eyes as he interlocks his fingers together. “Make sure she falls up short on information.” 

“Of course. Just remember, you aren’t alone.” I give him a shoulder squeeze before walking out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have an amazing day/night.


	9. Not Everything Is As It Seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Wolf in Red:  
> -Kyle gets stabbed in the foot by Tessa  
> -Tessa and Mariah find a bomb shard that belonged to Tessa's grandmother at the cave-in  
> -Adam being sus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a fat minute, what's up everyone! I took the time during school to outline more future chapters and I am excited to show you guys what I got! I thought I would start off this new year with a longer chapter so here ya go, enjoy! (Bold sentences are text messages)

(Tessa’s POV)

 _Goddamnit. I thought there would be at least a little more._ I rest my head against the bookcase as I throw the book I was reading onto the ever growing pile of literature I have created. 

“Someone’s in a bad mood.” 

I open my eyes to see Jor casually leaning up against the shelves. 

“What’s up chica bonita, talk to me.” They drop down into a sitting position to give me their full attention.

“I’m trying to find out more information about my grandma’s past. I knew I wouldn’t find much in here but there has to be at least one thing significant that might help piece things together.”

“Hey, why don’t I help you in the morning. For now, you should rest. You look exhausted.” 

I mumble. “Yeah you’re probably right.”

“Of course I’m right! I’m right 90% of the time.”

“More like 70%.”

Jor slams their hand to their chest in mock shock getting me to snort. 

“Come on, let’s take you to bed.” Jor ends with a suggestive eye wiggle. I shake my head light heartedly in response. 

“Goodnight Jor.”

(Mariah’s POV)

I woke up the next morning to birds chirping outside my window. Groggily looking around the room I turn to my alarm clock realizing it’s 7:50am. 

“Oh shit!” I quickly threw on some nice clothes and burst out the door towards the meeting room. 

“Ah there you are Mariah! Now we can begin our meeting.” Victor comments as he pulls out a chair for me to sit in. Trying very hard not to look like I just ran a marathon, I swipe a stray hair out of my eye and calmly stride to my seat. 

“As you all know—“

As Victor starts talking I notice how big the room is. It’s dark and bare all for a long conference table in the center and a projector screen at the head. Across the mahogany desk from me Jack Abbot sits greeting me with a kind smile and a wink. To his right, Neil Winters is tuned in to Victor's speech. _Poor guy, he looks so tired._ Delving into your work is one way to try and get over the loss of your son but speaking from experience, it isn’t the answer. A dull pain pangs in my chest at the thought of Devon. It still hurts from time to time but recently, I feel like I’ve been slowly feeling lighter again. 

The rest of the chairs are either empty or filled with business associates of Victors. I know why I was asked to be here. Being Alpha comes with new responsibilities and one of those is sitting in war meetings and putting my two cents in on what we should do. I think we need more people in these chairs and I know just how to get them. We convinced the Abbotts to leave Garsonwing and join us in Spree five years ago. Long story short, it was not easy but both sides realized we needed to band together to defeat Adam. Still, there is a little bit of a power struggle between Victor and Jack. They just don’t see eye to eye most of the time. 

“Victor, if I may, I disagree with that plan of action.”

_And cue the bickering._

“I think we should wait for my contact to get back to me so we know more before rushing into things.”

“Travis hasn’t reported back in 6 months, I don’t think he is very reliable considering he has stopped reporting back to us for a good year or so before.” 

“He gave me his word he was back for good. Now I believe him. Trust me, we need all the information we can get before barreling down their doors.”

Victor crosses his arms, giving Jack an incredulous look. “You know I don’t mean anything as brash as that. All I’m saying is, we need to do something. We can’t just sit here and wait for Adam to show us his cards. Travis is taking too long, we need to bluff and bait Adam. Make him think we have something so he forces his hand earlier than expected.” The older gentleman suddenly shifts his calculative stare to me. “Mariah, what do you think is the best course of action?”

I shift in my seat as all eyes are on me. “I have an idea but, I need to grab Lola for this if you don’t mind.” 

“By all means, go ahead.”

I run down the corridor to knock on Lola and Kyles’ door. 

“Come in!” Lola says as she puts her last earring in. 

“Hey! I probably should’ve mentioned this to you sooner but, I have a proposition for you. Where’s Kyle by the way?”

“He had a morning appointment with Nate for his foot. What’s up?”

“You know how we talked about you possibly opening your own food business?”

I move over to her bed as she casually plops down in her desk chair across from me. “I have been thinking about that more recently. Go on.”

“How would you like to start at the top in Garsonwing. You know, sample your food for the Baldwin-Fishers? Get your food out there.”

She flashes me with a sly smile as she catches on to my plan. “Ahhh I see, using my food to win over the other half of the pack in Garsonwing. We may have convinced the Abbott’s to leave that place and join us here, but from what you’ve told me, the Baldwin-Fishers were very adamant about not leaving and keeping out of trouble.” 

“Well, yes but that was before you came along. If we change the conditions and give them incentive a.k.a your delicious food, they might agree to a negotiation.”

“Maybe…”

“Sooooo, will you help me and spread your tasty delights?” I ask as I playfully poke her in the stomach.

She laughs. “Oh we can’t forget the spread of my tasty delights now can we.”

“No we can not!” 

I lean in to whisper conspiratorially. “That’s the best part.” 

She snorts before lifting her hands in surrender. “Fine, I’ll do it. Use me however you want.” 

“That sounded worse than I thought but, yes!” I pull Lola up from her seat and lightly push her out the door. “Now go in the kitchen and make a meal we haven’t tasted before for six people, I’m going to stall. If I’m going to pitch you, I will pitch you right.” 

_20 minutes later_

I begin to salivate as Lola walks into the room with 6 plates of steamy goodness. Neil perks up at the scent. “Mmmm that smells delicious!”

“And it is delicious. As you all know, we have an amazing cook here in the hideout. Have a taste and tell me what you think?”

I lock eyes with Lola and signal her with a slight nod.

“The dish you are eating today is called Red Snapper a la Lola. It’s a twist on the original recipe. It has a fresh Red Snapper fish topped with capers, olives, pickled jalapeño, garlic and my secret sauce. Enjoy.” 

Jack closes his eyes as he lets out a deep breath. “This is the best meal I’ve had in awhile, wow. You’ve really outdone yourself today Lola.” 

“Yes I can agree with Jack on this.” Victor grins. 

Noticing everyone else nodding and grunting in approval as well, I continue on. 

“This food is going to benefit the future of our pack. I believe patience is a virtue but what we do during that time has an impact on what happens later. So although I side with Jack on the subject that we should wait a little longer, there’s something we can do during the meantime to make us stronger. And that is bring more people in. As you know, the Abbott’s decided to join us 5 years ago leaving behind their other half the Baldwin-Fishers. I think it’s time to sway them but with new terms on the table. They say they want to stay out of trouble. We give them the option to stay in Garsonwing in exchange for helping us when we need it. And! To sweeten the deal, we’ll have our best chef cook for them for a week. We all know, Garsonwing isn’t known for their food. Once they have a taste of Lola’s cooking, especially the same meal you all just scarfed down, there’s no turning back at that point.” 

“How do you know food would be enough for the Baldwin-Fishers to completely do a 180 and change their minds?” Neil scrutinizes.

“Oh the food isn’t going to do that, it’s the opening we need to get their attention. There are many ways they can help us without getting their own hands dirty. One of those ways is with information. We appeal to their alpha’s sense of justice. Michael is one of the best lawyers and I know he is building a case against Adam. I believe if we can get him on our side we can get a step ahead without risking the chance of alerting Adam or waiting for a spy to come back and get that information for us. No offense to your Travis dude Jack.”

“None taken.” 

With a hand up to his chin and a thoughtful look in his eyes, I await Victor's opinion.

“I see where you are going with this, it’s a good plan if we can pull it off.” I look around the table to see the majority of the group nodding in agreement except for a brunette chick sitting at the far right near Victor and a slender man with lusty eyes that have been glued to me since I walked in the door. I clear my throat to quell my rising unease. 

“Well then, it is settled. Mariah, you will take Lola to Garsonwing and convince Michael and his pack to help us out. As for everybody else, we made some good progress today. We will reconvene when Mariah and Lola get back from their trip. Jack, I want to discuss some things with you if you don’t mind.” As I get up from my seat, I mouth a thank you to Lola as she intentionally blocks the creepy guy's view. 

Lola whispers to me as we walk out the door. “My my you have so many admirers.” 

“Yeah no thank you.”

Lola’s laughter rings out in the hallway as we enter back into her and Kyle’s room. 

“Who was that guy anyways?” I ask.

“That’s Markus, he helped me out in the kitchen a few times. He’s a peculiar dude but funny. Makes a mean casserole too but I will agree the way he was looking at you was even making me feel uncomfortable.” 

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen him before.”

“You probably have, he was on the cover of La Chic Chad Men’s Fashion a couple weeks ago. He’s newer to our pack.” 

“Well hello ladies!!!” Kyle bursts through the door showcasing his new and improved pooh bear gauze wrapped foot. 

I burst out laughing as Lola chuckles and shakes her head. “Dude, Pooh bear? Really?”

“What? Pooh bear is the cuddliest, sweetest bear from my childhood. When Nate gave me the option, I had to jump at the chance.” Kyle plops down into his fiancé’s lap, giving her a chaste kiss for good measure. “So who’re you guys talking about?” 

“Markus.” I chime in. 

Kyle presses his lips together. “I was cool with that guy until he tried to put some moves on Lola.” 

“Oh baby, it was harmless flirting, he said he would stop.”

“Yes but how long before he’s back at it again? I don’t know why I just have a bad feeling about him.”

“Well with the way he was looking at Mariah, I don’t think he’ll be coming back to me.” 

“Again, no thank you.” I reiterate. “I have enough things going on in my life, I don’t need a horny boy to top it all off.”

Kyle slides off of Lola and pulls her into his arms.“That’s true, how’d your meeting go by the way?” 

Lola and I stare at each other guiltily. “I should’ve mentioned this sooner but I’m taking Lola away for a bit so she can seduce Michael and his pack.” 

Kyle’s eyes bulge. “Excuse me?!”

“No! Not like that.” _What a poor choice of words._ “I meant with her food, she’s going to ease them up for me so I can get information on Adam.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Lola pushes herself away from Kyle’s chest to look him in the eye. “What why?” 

I notice Kyle’s eyes shifting to look anywhere other than Lola. “Because what if Adam hear’s of your plan and decides to come after you guys. I just don’t think it’s very safe.” 

I reply. “We have to do something to get one step ahead of the Riding Hoods. I don’t know if you guys have noticed but things have been a little too quiet.” 

Kyle retorts. “Why don’t you ask Tessa what’s going on then?” 

I am stunned into silence. Sometimes I forget Tessa and I aren’t on the same side. _Maybe that’s something I shouldn’t be taking too lightly..._

“Stop it Kyle, you know that’s unfair to ask of her.”

“What! For all I know, maybe Tessa was told by Adam to get close to Mariah. Maybe all the Riding Hoods are evil!”

Lola suddenly pushes out of Kyle’s lap and Kyle matches her. “What are you saying right now! I know you don’t believe that. What is up with you today?” 

“What is up with me?! I don’t understand how you can defend them when they murdered Rey!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I could tell he regretted them. A flicker of pain shot across her eyes before rage filtered in. 

“You know exactly how I feel about that day, and you also know how Arturo has changed ever since. No one deserved to die, not even the 15 year old girl who killed my brother.” A low rumble fills the back of her throat before she whips around and storms out the door. 

“Kyle—“

“Just go Mariah, I need some time alone. I don’t feel like getting reprimanded right now.”

I nod before getting up to go check on Lola. I take the elevator outside to find her sitting up against a tree on the edge of the clearing. Shadows of burgundy leaves dance across her face as she leans back to exhale the breath she’s been holding. I decided to prop myself up next to her. 

“Hey, you doing ok?” 

“I’ll be fine, Kyle just irritates me sometimes. We’ve been fighting more lately. I feel like there’s something he isn’t telling me and I can’t quite figure out what it is. Every time I ask if there is something wrong he just gets defensive or completely changes the subject.”

“If you want I can slap him around a little for you. Although, knowing you, you’d do that just fine on your own.” A light exhale of amusement escaped her airways.

“Very true. Thanks but, I’ll handle it don’t worry. About what Kyle said earlier when it came to Tessa. I know he was just reacting off of his emotions but, is there a possibility of truth to it?”

I laugh humorlessly. “I can’t tell you. A part of me feels like I can trust her but at the same time, there’s this other part that is wary and a bit scared if I’m being honest.” 

“Scared of her?”

“No. Scared of myself. Scared of my feelings. I’ve realized I’ve been starting to subconsciously let my guard down with her and although I kind of like it, I also feel like I shouldn’t be doing it. Being friendly with her goes against everything we were taught and trained to be.”

“I get that. The day Rey died, I got a call from Arturo. He didn’t outright tell me what happened but he didn’t sound like himself so I tracked him down. When I got there, I found him soaked in blood staring off into the distance in a perpetual state of shock. He barely even acknowledged me. And that’s when I saw Rey’s body. A dagger sticking out of his eye and next to him a lifeless girl with her throat torn to shreds. Arturo and I wordlessly picked Rey up and brought him back here to be buried. Both my brothers have had their fair share of battles against the Riding Hoods. I’ve always been indifferent towards them partly because a part of me believed my brother was invincible. Every time both my brothers came back from a fight with them, they would have cuts and bruises but nothing that required too much stitching. When I found Rey’s dead body I was filled with so much anger and hatred towards them from realizing that everything we were taught was true. They are cold blooded murderers. The next morning I let my emotions get the better of me and I ran off in the direction of where the Riding Hood lay. I hid behind the trees when I caught Pink Hood crouched over the girl's body. I snuck up behind her ready to pounce, when I heard it. A whispered broken “why”. Curious, I backtracked and snuck around the perimeter to get a better view. I noticed Pink Hood cradling the girl in her arms weeping softly. It was then that I noticed just how young the girl was, maybe 14, 15. In Pink Hood's face I saw the reflection of my own mom when we put Rey into the ground. At that moment, I understood. I didn’t see “the enemy”. I saw a child and her shattered mother. It’s things like that that make me question what we are fighting for when it’s the unseen consequences that do the most damage.”

We sit in silence listening to the whistling wind before Lola starts talking again.

“What I’m getting at is that it’s ok to have changing views. It doesn’t mean you’re wrong to feel the way you feel or think the way you do. Right and wrong is purely subjective. So, just do what makes you happy and follow your instincts.”

“Thanks Lola.”

“No problem, I’m going to sit out here for a little longer if you don’t mind. I’ll text you when I’m all packed up and ready to leave.” 

“Ok.” I leave her with an affectionate shoulder bump before deciding to go track down Tessa.

(Tessa’s POV)

“Pssst Tessa wake up.” 

  
  


I swat the hand shaking my shoulder. “No, go away Jor, I’m trying to sleep.”

  
  


“Tessa, the librarians on his breakfast break and there’s something I have to show you that might help you find what you need.” Jordan rips the covers off me before turning beet red and covering me back up. “I’m sorry, I forgot you usually sleep naked.”

“It’s fine, I’m going to get ready, I’ll be out in five minutes.” I grab the robe hanging on my bed frame and proceed into the bathroom. 

When I meet Jor in the library, they sneak me over to the far corner. Pulling out a book from the shelf, a small portion of the bookcase slides open to reveal a hidden room. Inside the room is a luxurious couch and coffee table with a Victorian era aesthetic. The walls have various paintings of the former heads of this division hung up on them. They look like they haven’t been touched in years. In the center of the back wall, there’s a gigantic bookcase.

“Jesus, how did you find this place?”

“Eh, I figured this building is old enough to have a few secrets here and there so during my downtime, I went snooping.”

As we look through the shelves a dark burgundy leather spine with gold lacing catches my eye. 

“What exactly are we looking for Tess?” 

“I am not entirely sure yet. If my grandma is mentioned in anything at all, let me know.”

I feel Jordan’s eyes on me as I flip through pages of the book in my hands. 

“Is everything OK?” 

I stop flipping and snap my head up. “Yeah everything’s fine why?”

“It’s just, you seem very tense lately and at the same time driving a car going 150mph. First you get into a fight with one of the Shapeshifters, then get into a fight with another, Adam calls you into his office and suddenly you are feeling the need to look for something without knowing what it is. From the sounds of it, this seems off the books. I have a feeling this is something you don’t want mentioned to Adam.”

I inhale deeply and give them a wry smile. “You are not wrong.” 

“Look, I won’t pry. I don’t doubt you have a good reason for doing whatever it is you are trying to do but I just want to make sure you are doing ok. Especially after what happened with your grandmother.” 

“Thanks but, you don’t need to worry, I’m doing alright. Anyways how’s your mom?” Jor’s mom has been sick for a while now. As her condition got worse, Jor’s been needing more leave time to take care of her. She, like my mom, doesn’t know about Jor’s occupation so Adam’s been trying to do what he can to help her get better, discreetly. The bottles he gives Jor to take to their mom are similar to the black vials we have in the building.

“OK well, if you want to talk about anything I’m here. My mom has been doing a bit better since Adam’s formula has been taking effect but she still has a long way to go. I was skeptical at first, didn’t think whatever Adam gave me would work but...desperate times huh? It seems to be working alright so far, I just wish I knew what was in that bottle, he’s so secretive about it.” 

“He’s been secretive about a lot of things.” As I end my sentence I pause on a page in the book that has a painting of what looks like my grandmother about to stab a witch in the chest. On the back of the witches shoulder I see a symbol of a Triqueta. _Why does this symbol look so familiar?_ I open my mouth about to ask Jor about it when I hear the wall behind us shift open. 

“What are you two doing in here?” 

I quickly shut the book and hide it in my coat as Phyllis walks into the room. 

Jordan starts speaking first. “I thought I would show Tessa the new place I found, is there a problem with that?” 

“Oh no not at all, but this area can be a bit unsafe considering the state of this room, so I think it would be best if we all left.” 

Jor and I calmly start walking out of the space, but before I can take a step out, Phyllis snatches my arm and grabs the book from underneath my coat. 

“I will put this back where it belongs.”

She pins me with a challenging glare before releasing my arm. I silently fume as Jordan ushers me out of the secret room. 

“She obviously doesn’t want us in there for some reason but we have to be smart about this. Don’t worry, we’ll find our way back in.”

(Phyllis POV)

As soon as I see Tessa and Jordan leave the library, I rush back into the secret room feeling relieved when I pull out Adams log book from a compartment in the table.

**Meet me in town, in the usual meeting spot it’s important. -P**

**On my way. -A**

I open the door to Crimson lights, waving to the owner, Dylan, before heading to see Adam at our usual table in the back corner. 

“What’s this important information you have Phyllis.” Adam monotones before taking a swig of coffee. 

“Umm, no hi, how are you doing? How was your weekend? Oh! Did you see the game last week? Brutal! Am I right?”

Adam fixes me with a tired look. “Alright alright I’ll get straight to the point. Yeesh, you have to lighten up sometimes. Tessa has found the secret room in the library.” 

I wait to see Adam’s reaction. When I get none, I take out his logbook and slide it over to him. “It was untouched, still hidden in the table where you left it.”

“As expected. Did you look inside.”

“No, I know the rules plus, I feel like that thing is practically your personal diary at this point and friends don’t look through friends diaries unless given permission. Although I may have peaked just a little bit.”

Adam replies with a warning tone. “Phyllis.”

“I’m kidding! It went straight from the coffee table to you. I think you should hide it somewhere else though. If you keep the stuff in there that I think you keep, Tessa finding that would be detrimental for you. Especially when she decides to tell Mariah.”

“Sounds like they are getting closer to each other, good. Plus, Tessa will never find this. I will make sure of it.”

“But why take that chance Adam!”

His eyes harden to hide the pain seeping through the cracks. “You know why.”

“Sometimes, I feel like you care too much for your own good.”

“I could say the same to you.” A beat passes as the words get stuck in my throat. “You know what, I’m going to go order a sandwich.”

As I walk up to the counter, I can’t help the thoughts running through my mind. If I am being honest, I do care a lot. I miss my daughter, hell I even miss Nick to some extent. Even though Nick and I still co-parent nowadays, I don’t get to see Summer nearly as much as I would like too anymore. But I chose my path and now I must live with it. I check the time to see it’s only a quarter past 2 pm.

**Hey baby, I was thinking of stopping by. Meet me in the grass field for lunch? -P**

**Sure. -S**

I ask the person behind the counter for 2 deluxe turkey sandwiches and brownies to go before walking back over to Adam. 

“I’m going to meet up with my daughter now, so I’ll meet you back at headquarters.”

“Alright, I will see you later. I won’t put you on any missions the rest of the day so you can spend more time with her.”

I smile at him. Adam may be a hardass but he can be soft when it counts. 

I pick up the food and head over outside the hideout for lunch. Making sure Nick isn’t around, I jog up to Summer sitting by a stump, gazing off into the distance. 

“Hey Summer, I brought some Turkey sandwiches and brownies from Crimson Lights.”

After realizing she didn’t hear me I wave my hand in front of her face. “Yoohoo! Where did you go off to?”

“Oh. Hi mom.”

I plop down next to her on the grass. “What’s wrong honey?” 

“Nothing, just that the love of my life is about to be married to someone else.”

I wrap her up in a huge hug. “Oh sweetie, I take it you told Kyle how you felt?” 

“Yeah I did, and no surprise, he chose Lola again. I just don’t get it, I know he still wants me. There’s this undeniable tension when we are hanging out together.”

“It’s possible to love two people, it just depends which love is greater than the other. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to wait and see which one wins out or if you want to move on and find someone who has a whole heart for you. If you want my oh so wise motherly advice, everything comes into place in the end. I suggest moving on in the meantime, don’t wait on Kyle.”

“Thanks mom, is that what happened between you and dad?”

“Yeah in a way it did. Nick had feelings for both Anastasia and I. Anastasia got pregnant with Mariah and he chose her so he could raise the child with her. It was a sad day when she passed away, I was jealous of Anastasia but I never hated her. After a grieving period Nick and I rekindled our romance, got married and had you.” 

“And then a few years later you guys ended your marriage because you started working for the Riding Hoods. I was mad at you for a long time. Dad tried to keep the truth from me but that one time I caught you in your grey hood. I knew.”

“I’m sorry you had to find out that way sweetie. I wanted to tell you sooner but it's complicated.”

“I know that now. Honestly, 16 year old me wouldn’t have understood, but it still would’ve been nice not having been lied to by both my parents. I don’t think my grudge against you would’ve lasted as long as it did if you told me what happened when I found out. It’s not my place to say anything but I still think Mariah should know, and you should drop this vendetta against grandpa. You’ve always been a good mother to me and you aren’t a bad person. Being angry all the time was exhausting anyways.” 

“Still, I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you.”

We hug it out before I hear Nick’s angry footsteps coming up behind us. 

“Summer, can I talk to your mom for a second?”

Summer raises her eyebrow at us then sighs and gets up. “I’m taking both these sandwiches with me. I’ll leave you a brownie when you guys are done mom.” 

“Hey! At least leave me half a turkey sandwich.” I yell as she’s walking away. I face Nick having a vague idea of what this is about. 

“I can’t believe you killed Bret and Zoe.” 

Bret and Zoe are two shapeshifters from the pack. 

“Excuse me? That’s a hard accusation you got going on there.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true. I know you were the last person to see them alive. You went after them!”

My hands balled into fists as my eyes glow an iridescent blue and a growl rumbles through my chest. I get up into Nick’s face. “Are you kidding me right now! This just shows me how much Victor has been filling up your damn head. I thought you knew me better than that. I WAS THE ONE BEING CHASED! You know I was hated by many people even before I decided to leave the pack. Did it EVER cross your mind that maybe I was defending myself from pack members that take me leaving as an opportunity to take me out?!” I seethe as the memory of my sister resurfaces. “I will not go down that easy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theories, critiques, questions? I appreciate all the comments/reads/kudos I receive. :) Have an amazing day/night!


	10. The Past Is Never Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Wolf In Red:  
> -Mariah is tasked to visit Garsonwing with Lola to get information on Adam from the Baldwin-Fishers  
> -Kyle and Lola get into a fight  
> -Tessa and Jordan find a secret room in the library that leads to more questions than answers on Tessa's grandmother  
> -Phyllis and Summer have a heart to heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day everyone! :)

(Phyllis’ POV)

**_flashback (1 month after Phyllis left the Pack)_ **

Avery storms up to me at our usual meeting spot by the Hollow. “I don’t get it Phyllis! Why would you leave the pack, why would you separate yourself from the family especially from me! Your blood related sister.” 

“A lot of shit has been happening, I’m sorry but I’m choosing to do what I think is right.”

“Normally, I would support you but in this case it is really hard considering you won’t tell me the reason why you left. Which is ridiculous in the first place might I add.” 

“It’s not my place to tell! It doesn’t directly involve me but I feel as though I can do something about it.”

Realization washes over her features. “This has something to do with what happened between Victor and Adam doesn’t it.”

My eyes wander as I keep my lips shut tight.

“Answer me!”

“OK! Yes it does but that’s not the full story.”

“So then what is the full story. What happened that day that made Adam leave.” 

“I can’t tell you.” 

“Oh my god Phyllis! What is going on! I thought you could trust me with anything!”

“I can! It’s just—“

Avery interrupts me with a hand to my face. “Save it, I don’t want to hear any more excuses.” Before I can get another word in, she shifts and runs off through the trees. 

**_Three weeks later_ **

“She still isn’t answering any of my calls or texts.” I lay my head down into my arms on the table at Crimson lights. Adam pats me on the shoulder handing me my coffee. 

“I bet she’ll come around. In the meantime there is some good news. Guess who’s second in command?”

I take a sip of my coffee perplexed. “You got it! That’s great! I feel like it was pretty close between you and Billy.” 

“Oh there was no doubt it was going to be me.” Adam ominously smirks. “When you have the drive, the means, and in my case many, many connections, anything is yours for the taking.” 

I clink Adam’s coffee cup. “That is very true.”

“I’m glad you finally decided to join us Phyllis.” 

“It took a while but, I couldn’t just sit back and let Victor do what he did to you. I never got along with Victor. But after that day I lost so much respect for him. I’ve always been outspoken about how I feel about his ways and plans, especially to his face but over the few years after you got kicked out, I just can’t stand it anymore. I’ve tried to make changes from within the pack but that isn’t working.” 

Adam looks at me sincerely. “I’m sorry this decision cost you your relationship with Nick.”

“It’s not your fault we are getting divorced. We’ve never seen eye to eye when it comes to Victor, or you for that matter. It was bound to cause a huge rift between us.” 

“Still, it must be hard, especially with your daughter.” 

“Nick and I have agreed that it’s best for Summer to keep her life as perfect as possible. So, we will be co-parenting her and when she gets a little older, we will explain that we’re divorced.” 

“What about the fact that you’re with the enemy now? You can’t hide that from her forever.”

I start playing with a brownie crumb left idly on the table. “It’s best to keep that secret for as long as possible.”

Adam nods agreeing with me. “We do what we can to keep the ones we love happy and safe.”

After chatting some more with Adam I decided to head over to the hideout to pick up the last of my things. On the way there, I hear the snapping of twigs coming from behind. Keeping my pace steady, I slowly reach into my pocket grasping onto a hidden knife before spinning around to face the darkness with a smirk. “You know I can hear you right? Why don’t you come out and play Christine.” Three pairs of glowing wolf eyes emerge from the trees as they start surrounding me. “And I see you brought back-up with you. Hey Diane, Jeff.” 

A low rumble erupts through Christine’s canines as she snarls at me. “I’ve waited a long time for this. Now that you aren’t under the safety of the packs rules, I can finally get back at you for all the shit you’ve pulled on me.”  _ Damn I am outnumbered. Think Phyllis think! _

I start backing up towards a long needle pine tree. “Look, I am truly sorry for hitting you with my car 2 months ago. I swear it wasn’t like the first time I did it. It was actually an accident this time.” 

“Liar!” Before I can take out my knife, Jeff lunges at me. Raising my arm up to protect my face, I wince as Jeff’s sharp teeth bore into my muscle. Using his weight I flip him over onto Diane and kick him in the balls. Once free, I throw my knife into Christine’s paw giving me ample time to stomp onto Diane’s reversed knee with a sickening crunch. With a growl, Christine pulls the blade from her paw and charges at me. Backing up towards the pine tree I wait until the last second, letting the branches sling her in the snout, knocking her down. I waste no time shifting and escaping through the trees. 

_ It’s been 20 minutes and I still can’t shake them off.  _ I feel the lethargy in my bones as I pound across the mulchy terrain. I take a quick glance behind me to see Jeff and Christine slowly catching up. Something tells me Christine isn’t going to give in anytime soon. I take a sudden right turn in a last ditch effort to get them off my back when the trees start parting away to reveal the edge of a cliff. I skid to a halt almost sliding off the edge. Catching my breath, I look back to see Christine’s fire exhausted but still burning. Jeff on the other hand looks like he’s about to pass out. 

“There’s nowhere left to run Phyllis.” Christine signals for Jeff to get me. 

I growl at both of them ready to use the last of my strength when out of nowhere a flash of blonde fur flies past me, pummeling into Jeff as they both fly off the cliff. 

“NO!” With a surge of renewed energy I lunge forward. Time seemed to slow down as I opened my jaws, aiming to latch onto Avery’s scruff as she tumbles over the edge. But I’m a millisecond too late. As I barely miss her, I look into her eyes to see only warmth staring right back at me before she closes them, accepting her fate. I land with a thud and scramble back over the edge hoping that she’s magically OK. All I see are two unmoving bodies at the bottom of this very high cliff. Tears stream down my snout as I howl her name. That seems to wake Christine up from her daze because I hear a soft “Oh my god” from behind me. Rage boils over as I slam into her, knocking her off her paws.

“HOW COULD YOU! You are so hell bent on getting back at me, you killed my sister in the process.”

I almost revel in the fear I have instilled within her. Almost. “I’m so sorry Phyllis, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. It was never supposed to go this far.” 

Her words mean nothing to me. I foam at the mouth as my rage and hatred builds and builds until the most intense growl arises causing Christine to flee the scene.  _ She’s not worth my time.  _ I pad back over to the edge of the cliff to mourn the loss of my sister as the rest of my energy drains out.

**_Present time_ **

I turn away from Nick trying to calm myself down as the memory of Avery resurfaces. I feel a comforting rough hand on my shoulder. 

“I’m sorry Phyllis, I’m taking my frustration out on you and that isn’t fair. I know you wouldn’t kill your own people.” 

“They aren’t my people anymore Nick. Not after Avery.” 

Nick steps around into my line of vision with understanding in his eyes as he wraps his strong arms around me. “You have Summer and I.”

I gently push out of his warming embrace. “I have Summer, but I don’t have you. Haven’t for a long time.” 

Nick looks towards the horizon trying to mask his emotions. “I know the topic of Victor has been a touchy subject between us but, I still care about you Phyllis. I want to make sure you’re doing alright and I want you to know you can come to me about anything. Even stuff about Victor I will lend a non-judgmental ear.” He ends with a lopsided grin. 

“Thanks.” I half-smile. “But let’s talk about you. What’s been keeping you on edge lately.” 

“I don’t know, I’ve been having a really bad feeling lately. I don’t like it when you guys start getting quiet, it makes me feel like Adam has something big planned.”

“Well if he does, I don’t know anything about it. Which, I am slightly grateful for because it makes this conversation a lot less awkward than it would be.” I chuckle. “In all honesty though, Adam isn’t that bad of a guy once you get to know him. He has his faults sure, but who doesn’t?” 

“I got to know him, or at least I thought I did. But everything he does is for his own personal gain. The lengths he goes to, to achieve what he wants is astounding to me and not in a good way.” 

“Doesn’t that kind of remind you of Victor though?” 

Nick looks at me thoughtfully. “You have a better chance convincing me to turn on Victor than to believe there is some good in Adam.”

“Oh! So there is a chance?” I tease, getting Nick to smile.

“Well, it’s no secret I’ve had issues with my father in the past.”

I catch a twinkle in his eye when Summer emerges from the forest. “Hey! You guys done yet? Your sandwich is starting to smell mom.”

I good naturedly roll my eyes before locking them onto Nicks. “Want to split my deluxe turkey sandwich?”

“Hell yeah! I know you can’t finish one on your own.” I lightly shove him as we walk over to eat lunch. 

(Mariah’s POV)

I sniff out Tessa’s trail, leading me to the Riding Hoods HQ. Carefully avoiding cameras, I stakeout the perimeter of the broken castle.  _ Seriously, where is the entrance to this thing and why would anyone want to live in this shrubble?  _

As I make my way around the front of the castle, I hide behind a tree at the sound of footsteps in the vicinity. One of the walls opens up to reveal a riding hood walking away towards the direction of town. Before the wall closes back up again I run up to get a peek inside seeing nothing but grass and trees.  _ Huh????  _

“Hi.”

I jump backward ready to attack when he starts talking again. 

“You’re Mariah right?” 

“Who’s asking?” I snarl as I size up Blue Hood.  _ He’s big but I can still take him out.  _

“I don’t mean any harm. I figure you’re here looking for Tessa.” His calm demeanor and relaxed approach gives me the sense to stand down a little. 

“Who’re you? And how do you know me?”

“Name’s Garret, I’m one of Tessa’s friends. She likes to talk about you.” I suppress the urge to wag my tail as my eyes narrow. 

“And how do you know I’m not here to break in and learn all of your guys’ secrets.” 

Garret shrugs. “I figured if breaking in was your main priority, my presence would distract you enough to thwart your plans anyways. Hence, the entrance closed before you could go all the way through.” He winks. “Plus, you would've either attacked me by now, or at least sniffed me from a mile away with your skill set according to Tessa.”

“Very intuitive of you. True, if that was my goal I would be going about this a completely different way.” 

A small knowing smirk appears across his features. “I haven’t seen Tessa yet but if I come across her, I’ll let her know you stopped by. Your tail’s wagging by the way.” Garret walks away in the direction the other Riding Hood went as my cheeks start burning.  _ This is the only time I will ever say this. I’m so glad I’m furry right now.  _

I decide to switch directions and head over to her moms house instead. Once I change back into my clothes, I walk up to the Porter household and knock on the door. 

“Hi Mariah! If you’re looking for Tessa she isn’t here at the moment but she did recently text, she’ll be home soon. Come on in, have a seat.” 

“Thanks Ms. Porter.”

“Oh please, call me Sharon. Now, what can I get you. Water, tea, milk?”

“Just some water is fine thanks. How’ve you been?” 

“Pretty good actually! I picked up another job that I’m excited about.” She hands me a cup of water. “You’re looking at the new manager of the Crimson Lights.” 

“Oh really? How’d you get that, I used to work there myself.” I take the time to replenish my body after that long run.

“I’m good buddies with the manager there. He’s leaving town soon so he offered the management position to me.” 

“Well that’s great! When do you start?” 

“Tomorrow. Our best barista quit this morning according to Dylan so we are short a person currently.” Sharon’s eyes light up. “You know what? How would you like to work at Crimson Lights again? It sounds like you have the experience.” 

“Uhh..”

“If you can’t it’s totally fine, I was just asking so we could keep business booming while I find another barista.” 

“Actually, that would be perfect.”  _ Having a normal job again would be nice.  _

“Awesome! When can I pencil you in.” The genuine smile across Sharon’s face is very contagious. “Two days from now works best for me.” 

As I’m typing the start date into my phone a familiar delicious scent fills my nose before the front door swings open.

“I think you’re right mom, as much as I like to run from here to work and back, I think I’ll start taking my bike.” She hangs up her coat and plops down on the couch next to me. “Hey.” 

“Hi.” I giggle. “Busy day?”

“Very.” She exasperates as she leans her head back on the couch. Sharon comes back with some water for Tessa.

“I just hired Mariah for Crimson Lights.” 

“Huh, I’m surprised you have time for that given your current job.” I quickly glare at Tessa hiding her sly smile between sips.

“Oh! I should’ve asked. What do you do Mariah?”

“I manage music labels for upcoming artists.” I lie quickly.

“That sounds fun, and a lot of work. You can back out of the job I proposed if you want?”

“I’m happy to fill in and help you out while you search for a more permanent person. And to be honest, I do kinda miss being a barista.” 

“Thanks so much, you’re so sweet. But, just let me know if you need to quit before I can find another hire. It’s totally fine if that happens.” Sharon flashes me with a kind grin before getting up. “Well I’ll leave you two to talk, I’m going to go check on some things at Crimson Lights before I start my duties tomorrow. Bye honey!”

“Bye mom!”

As soon as Sharon’s out the door I round on Tessa. “Excuse me, what was that for?” 

“Just to mess with you, turns out you’re very quick on your feet. I like that.” 

“You—just—gah!” I cross my arms as my face turns a light shade of pink. “You can be irritating you know that?” 

She laughs as she puts her water cup down. “One of my many charms. Seriously though, why’d you take the job? I bet being Alpha is time consuming.”

“It is, but even I need a little break. The scheming, the plotting, trying to figure out what you guys are up to next. Sometimes it’s nice doing something normal.”

“I get that. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I didn’t get sucked into the world of Riding Hoods. Maybe, just maybe I would be the super star under your music management.” She winks causing me to involuntarily smile. I adjust my position so I’m fully facing her.

“Why don’t you play something for me, we’ll see if you’re good enough to be my client.” I nod over to the guitar hanging up against the wall. Lifting a devilish eyebrow, she leans in close glancing down at my lips before trailing back up to my eyes. 

“Watch me rock your socks off.” She smoothly gets up as I take my time to indulge in the way her skinny jeans hug her curves. The way her crop top rides up exposing more of that perfect porcelain skin. I bite my lip, damping down the slow burn in the pit of my stomach before she turns back around, guitar in hand. 

“Any requests?” 

“How about Stairway to Heaven?” 

Tessa looks up at me impressed. “You really aren’t pulling any punches huh?”

I shrug. “I know what I want.” 

With a twinkle in those hazel irises, Tessa closes her eyes and delicately strums through the beautiful melody. I am entranced as she starts the first verse. Her silky smooth voice rings out into the surrounding area like tender waves; gentle yet powerful just underneath the surface, beckoning me. She’s in her own ocean, letting me experience the rush of the water pushing and pulling between my toes. Bye the time she finishes the song, there are no other words to convey my feelings other than “Wow.” 

Tessa avoids eye contact as a blush blooms on her cheeks. All I want to do in that moment is lift her chin up and tell her how beautiful that was. How beautiful she is. I almost do just that when she speaks, bringing me back to reality. “Thanks.” 

I let my arm drop across the back of the couch. “Tessa, why don’t you try singing for a living. You’re really good at it.” 

She purses her lips and plays with the guitar strap before looking back up at me. “It used to be a thing Crystal and I would do. From the vague memories I have back when I was a child, Crystal and I would put on small performances. Mostly to cheer my mom up whenever she got upset about Travis. As we grew up, we would play songs together, for each other, it was very cathartic.” I catch a wisp of a smile before solemnness takes over, taking her deeper within herself.  _ Wait...Travis, that name. It sounds familiar somehow.  _ “I don’t play or sing much anymore, it hasn’t been truly enjoyable in a while. Playing for you, I actually felt something.” 

All the questions running through my mind come to a halt as hazel orbs meet mine. In the soft glow of the sunlight, her eyes are magnetizing, allowing me a reflection of vulnerability and wariness as she desperately hangs on to the last walls she has left. I want to keep chipping, I want to catch her when she crumbles. Without thinking, my finger reaches out to brush the hand resting on the neck of the guitar. 

We stay like that for what feels like eternity. That is, until the ringer on my cell phone beeps breaking us out of our trance. Removing my hand, I reach into my back pocket. 

“Shapeshifter stuff?” Tessa asks as she gets up to put her guitar back on the wall. 

“No, just a Candy Crush notification.” 

“I never got the hype of that game.” 

“Oh trust me it’s addicting. I used to play it for hours on end. Noah took my phone away and hid it for a whole day because I got so consumed by it.” I chuckle at the memory before I notice Tessa sagging as she sits back down next to me.

“You OK? I know we haven’t really talked about Noah since the Elusird.”

“No no I’m fine really.” 

I shoot her a disbelieving look that she amusedly shakes her head at. 

“OK, I’m not completely fine, but hearing your side of the story put things into perspective for me. I’m just extremely sorry for everything.” 

“Hearing your side, really put things into perspective for me as well. I don’t fully forgive you for what you did, but you aren’t a bad person. I can see that.” 

She asks quietly. “How do you know that?” I raise my finger against the left side of her chest. 

“Because you have this thing here.” I tap the area of skin under her collarbone. 

She looks at me quizzically. “A heart? Geez, how lowly do you Shapeshifters think of us?”

“Oh you know, you guys are just your average selfish murderers who are out to eradicate us all.” 

She stares at me unblinkingly. “Damn. Do you think that way?”

“I did at some point, not anymore.” 

“Good, because that’s not what we’re about. All we do is keep peace, order and defend ourselves if need be. Our main priority is to stop supernaturals if they do something that would harm all of our existences. Like killing outside humans or planning to reveal our existence to them. Even you agree having us all live in supposed harmony with outside humans would never work.” She looks at her empty water cup then mine. “Want more water?”

“No thanks I’m good.” I contemplate what Tessa says as she gets up to refill her own cup. I agree with her on those points but I don’t think assassination is the correct way to go about things. Judging by Tessa’s rambling, I don’t think she’s too thrilled with it either. I bet Adam is planning something. I think back to the meeting I had earlier in the day. “Hey Tessa, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.” She replies as she finishes refilling her water.

“I heard you mention the name Travis. Who’s that?”

“That’s my estranged father.”

_...Could he be the spy Jack was talking about? No, it can’t be. It doesn’t make any sense, why would Tessa’s dad be working with us.  _ I decide to file that away for later as my gaze softens. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugs. “He walked out on our family when Crystal and I were very young. I’ve learned to accept it.” 

“Still it must be hard at times. I’m a fatherless child myself. I never knew who my biological dad was and strangely no one else did either.” 

“It makes it easier the fact that I don’t remember what he looks like. What about your mom? Doesn’t she know?” 

“My mom died giving birth to me.”

Tessa chokes on her water. “I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I may not have been able to experience having a mom and dad but one of the perks of being a shapeshifter in a pack is the family aspect. You never really feel alone with all the love and support you get. Nick would always tell me stories of my mom as I grew up so in a way I feel like I know her.” My phone chimes again as I think about my mom. Pulling it out, a text from Lola flashes across my screen.

**I’ll be ready to go in 10 minutes -L**

**See you soon. -M**

“I should get going now, I’ve got a friend waiting for me.” 

“I’ll take you back then, I was going out anyway.” 

“Oh no it’s fine, if you’re going back to headquarters, I’m in the complete opposite direction.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. This way you won’t have to make your friend wait longer than she has to.” Tessa replies as she walks down the white hallway into a room. When she emerges, she has two helmets in hand, one red, one black.  _ Ohhh she has that kind of bike.  _

Following her out the door, a large dark green tarp covers a lump leaning against the side of the house. She pulls it off to reveal a beautiful black Harley Sportster.

“Oh wow.”

“Yeah, she’s a beaut. I got her modified to be as quiet as a mouse. Hop on.” She passes me the red helmet as I climb in behind her, wrapping my arms loosely around her torso. She turns her head to the side. “You might want to hold on tight.” I can practically hear the smirk in her voice before she propels us forward speeding through the trees to the main road. Feeling giddy, I squeeze her abs tighter as we fly through the wind letting myself enjoy the blurring scenery. 

Before too long, we arrive at the open grassy field and take off our helmets. “Well, this is your stop.” Tessa says while shaking out her hair. “Home sweet home, I assumed you meant you were meeting your friend here.”

“And what if that assumption was wrong. Maybe I was meeting her in town or some place else.”

She shoots me a knowing smirk. “Then you would’ve told me and we would’ve headed in the correct direction.” With mischief in her eyes, Tessa leans forward on the handles of her bike, her cheek lightly brushing my own as her lips softly graze my ear. “Or, you wouldn’t have told me because you were enjoying the ride. Maybe the company even, either or.”  I turn my head towards her as she slowly backs away, feeling her breath on my lips for a split second as I silently reflect back a smirk of my own. Tessa’s smirk bursts into a pleased grin as she bends down to whip out a dagger and trace a series of numbers into the dirt below. 

“Here’s my number. This way you won’t have to hunt me down when you want to hang out.” She winks as a furious blush rises up my cheeks. “Later Mariah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a great day/night ;)


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